Divine Mercy is.
Life-changing. Profound.
Dynamic.
Beautiful. Powerful. I am a pilgrim of mercy.
What would you think if you saw a monk walk into a brothel? Vitalis of Gaza was an Egyptian hermit in the seventh century. After many years in the desert, at the age of 60, he left the desert for the city of Alexandria. He worked as a day labor, toiling tirelessly at grueling tasks to earn a wage. At the end of each day, he would go to the local brothel, where he spent his earnings. Night after night, the former hermit was seen with a different prostitute. The local Christians were understandably scandalized. Vitalis was openly mocked and humiliated. Many of Alexandria's Christians petitioned the patriarch to excommunicate him, but the patriarch was unwilling to act on unverified rumors. One day, Vitalis was viciously attacked and killed. Some judgmental Christians in Alexandria felt a sense of relief when news spread. But then something unexpected happened. Dozens of former prostitutes attended his funeral. The curious patriarch had questions. His questions led to a stunning revelation. The women professed that Vitalis had saved both their lives and their souls. Vitalis wasn't as debauched as the people of Alexandria assumed. Each night, after paying for a woman's services, he would lovingly tell her he had bought her a night of rest for her body and her soul. Every night, he would give the woman his own food, and then, while she rested, Vitalis kept vigil over her, praying for her all night. Who was this man? And what were his true intentions? The women wondered. They could not comprehend his kindness and generosity. But the next morning, after their first peaceful night's sleep in years, the women asked Vitalis why he was doing this. He told them his story and talked about God's love and mercy. Mercy is always an invitation to a better life in large ways and small ways. Vitalis' actions had a profound effect on many of the women and they asked him to help them escape their lives as prostitutes. The former hermit arranged marriages, provided dowries, and secured places for some in monasteries. A vow of silence was the only request he made of these women. Vitalis knew that if word spread about what he was doing, the people who controlled the brothels would no longer give him access to the women he felt called to serve. Vitalis willingly suffered public shame, disgrace, and humiliation. He sacrificed his reputation for the sake of these women who society aboard. This is a radical humility. Would you sacrifice your good name to save souls? Would you be willing to suffer silently while people ridiculed you? Clothing the naked wasn't just about physical clothes for Vitalis. It was also about clothing these women who had been mercilessly dehumanized with human dignity. Dehumanization takes many forms. Some things are dehumanizing by their very nature. For example, violence, slavery, abuse, injustice, torture, poverty, discrimination, gossip, objectification, and genocide. There're many other things that can be dehumanising, such as work, technology, debt, humor, laws, entertainment, social media, and even education. Anytime the value and individuality of a person are being denied, that person is being stripped of their worth, their reputation, and their self-esteem.
Rehumanization is an effort to reverse the effects of dehumanization by restoring human dignity, helping each and every person develop a healthy sense of self, and reprioritizing people above money, objects, systems, and institutions. Rehumanization is about learning to be human again, which may sound strange, but it's amazing how often and in how many ways the average person experiences dehumanization. Mercy is rehumanization. Giving and receiving mercy helps us recover our humanity and to see ourselves as God's precious children. Vitalis was on a merciful quest to rehumanize these women. He was desperately trying to show them how deeply God loved them. Rehumanization: is there any more urgent task before society today? Which of our problems would not be solved by seeing each other as human beings? The future will be profoundly human or not at all. There will be no future unless we rediscover what it means to be human.
I would argue that it is impossible to solve the problems we face as a society unless we undertake a great rehumanization, clothing each person with the protection of human dignity. The call to clothe the naked begins with material clothes. How much clothing do you have that you never wear? We should donate clothes we no longer need. But we should also become more conscientious consumers. Before we buy more clothes, we should consider if the money could be better spent clothing the naked in some other way. And like Vitalis, we should look for new and innovative ways to clothe the naked.
Eradicating pornography from our society would be one place to start. Our culture has become pornified. The dehumanizing effects of pornography are insidious, rampant, and having an incalculable impact on every relationship in our society. A pilgrim of mercy inhabits that difficult and exhilarating space between the physical and the spiritual. Clothe the naked. This work of mercy also challenges us to consider ways we may be creating nakedness ourselves. We should diligently avoid stripping other people of their dignity with our words, our choices, and our actions. Eradicating gossip from our conversations is also a great place to start. Gossip is one of the easiest ways to strip other people of their dignity. Mercy is love reaching out to misery. It's time to clothe the naked with a great rehumanization movement. Saint Vitalis, pray for us. Trust, surrender, believe, receive.
There is a multi-generational problem in the church that deserves our urgent attention. It seems the growing consensus among Catholics is that mass is boring and that it isn't relevant to modern life. Nothing could be further from the truth. And this year, we want to change that mistaken perception forever. Dynamic Catholic is developing a world-class program that will teach Catholics, young and old, about the genius of the mass and show them exactly how it applies to their daily lives. I hope this stirs your soul. I hope you want to be a part of it. So click the button below. Choose your welcome gift. Become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador today. We had so much fun creating these new welcome gifts for you. I hope you enjoy them. Have a great day. And remember, Be Bold. Be Catholic.
Eternal God.
In whom mercy is endless.
And the treasury of compassion inexhaustible.
Look kindly upon us.
And increase your mercy in us.
That in difficult moments we might not despair.
Nor become despondent.
But with great confidence.
Submit ourselves to your holy will.
Which is love and mercy itself.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
See you tomorrow.
Thank you, Ambassadors.
You are changing the world.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Hey, Ralph, one of the best ways to be a pilgrim of mercy is to collaborate with God to create holy moments. So I figured while we have a couple of minutes, you could inspire our audience. So tell me, what is today's Holy Moment Challenge?
It is donate clothes or other essential items.
