On their return they were full of joy saying: ‘Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name.’ Jesus’ response is intriguing because, as delighted as he was by this manifestation of God’s power, he points to a different reason for joy: They should rejoice because their names will be written in heaven.
Our names were written in heaven when we received the grace of baptism. This is the basis of our joy and hope, and this is why the vocation to evangelise is a vocation of mercy. We exist to bring about and encounter with the visceral love of God’s mercy. We must go outside and look for people where they live, where they suffer and where they hope. Many are hurt and wounded by their experience of Church and the world, and our call is to bring healing. The Church is not a harsh judge but a patient nurse. We must be willing to enter into the chaos and misery of others to bring the light and hope of the gospel.
Many are hurting because they do not know and have not experienced God’s mercy in their lives. The late Pope Francis said that too many people believe that they have no chance of redemption: ‘[many today believe that] there is no hand to raise them up, no embrace to save them, forgive them, pick them up and flood them with an indulgent love which puts them back on their feet.’ The commission of the seventy-two has now been passed on to us; we have a message of hope to bring to everyone we encounter. God’s logic is for us to get our hands dirty in the misery and suffering of others, to comfort the broken-hearted, to speak out for the downtrodden. God is Mercy. Mercy is God. Mercy is God’s identity card. God’s name is Mercy. We are evangelists called to be ambassadors of God’s mercy.
