Divine mercy is–

Hopeful.

Overflowing.

Available.

Infinite.

Free.

I am a pilgrim of mercy.

Professor Williams taught at a small Catholic college. One of the freshman classes he taught was Christian moral principles. Year after year, he grew increasingly frustrated that his students were more interested in their grades than living the central principles of their faith. More than being irritated by his students' attitudes, he felt he was failing in his duty to educate them. The mid-semester exam made up 50% of their final grade. So after 10 years, he decided to try a new approach. When the students arrived at the classroom for their midterm exam, they found a notice on the locked door informing them that the exam had been moved to a different classroom on the other side of campus. The students were all of a sudden flustered. They rushed to the other side of campus. The small building where the exam was now being held had only one entrance, and there was a homeless man laying across the entrance. "He's asleep," one student said. "He stinks," said another. "Step over him," one young man suggested. But they discovered they couldn't open the door without hitting the homeless man. "Wake him up," someone said. "I'm not touching him," his friend replied. "Is he dead?" someone asked. "Let's call security," another student suggested. "Maybe we should call 911 was their last idea before one of their classmates said, "Guys, this way, there's a janitor's entrance around the back." Inside the classroom, they read a message on the board that explained the exam would start a little late to give everyone time to get across campus. 10 minutes later, the homeless man walked into the classroom. It was their professor disguised as a homeless man. "The homeless man was your exam," Professor Williams explained, "Needless to say, you all failed."

The students began to murmur and complain, but their professor continued, "At the heart of Jesus's life and teachings, we find a profound mercy. It is difficult to comprehend, but we all need it. We don't deserve it, but God gives it to us abundantly nonetheless. And to live the gospel means to carry this mercy into the world and share it with those who cross our paths, or in this case, block our paths." "That's 50% of our grade," one student called out. "Yes," the professor replied. "We're all going to fail the class," another commented with disdain. "You deserve to fail, and that would be justice. But as I am trying to teach you the compassion of Christ, His deep and abiding mercy, I'm going to offer a makeup exam." A wave of relief swept through the classroom. "Over the next 10 days, I would like you to get to know a homeless person and write a paper listing 10 surprising things you learned about that person." When the students returned after the mid-semester break, the quality of the discussions in class improved for the rest of the year. Now let's consider another question. What would have to happen for you to end up living on the streets? My older brother, Andrew, worked for a nonprofit organization in Australia that provided crisis accommodation and helped the homeless rebuild their lives and integrate into society. One day at lunch, he said something that stunned me. Most people are only three events away from becoming homeless. "Say that again," I asked for clarity. We refer to it as the rule of three, my brother explained. Most people become extremely vulnerable to homelessness if they experience three of the more stressful life events in a short period of time. Job loss, the death of a loved one, divorce, chronic illness, a serious injury at work, unexpected medical expenses, domestic violence, eviction, loss of housing, or even moving. "Why moving?" I asked. That's the crazy one. "It's not much spoken about," Andrew explained. "A family moves and one partner locks the other partner out during the move to instigate separation as a first step toward divorce." 40% of Americans are just one paycheck, unexpected medical bill, or job loss away from financial instability. When it comes to homelessness specifically, it's estimated that about 25 to 40 percent of people could be vulnerable to homelessness if they experienced three major stressors. My brother further explained, "We use this rule of three as a heuristic to remove judgment from our hearts and minds."

The reason it's so easy to judge homeless people is because we see them as different. Dirty, smelly, irresponsible, lazy, dangerous, etc. The reason it is so easy to ignore homeless people is because we don't see them as our neighbor. A lot of people point to addiction and mental illness as the primary cause of homelessness, but it isn't that simple. Sometimes, addiction and mental illness lead to homelessness, and sometimes homelessness leads to addiction and mental illness. It is a vicious cycle. And addictions and mental illnesses that were manageable with stable housing and work often become unmanageable on the streets. Think about the emotions that come with homelessness, fear, shame, hopelessness, loneliness, frustration, depression, anxiety, and guilt. These are enough to test any person's mental health and would drive most people to some form of substance abuse. The Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that at least 771,480 men, women, and children are homeless in the United States today. Are we really okay with that?

Now let's consider another question. Who is my neighbour? Our collective answer to this single question directs human history. When Jesus was asked the question, he famously replied with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Living out the corporal works of mercy and the spiritual works of mercy is our answer to the question, "Who is my neighbour?" The world is full of desperate need and destructive want. When we put our wants ahead of other people's needs we abandon our humanity. Who is my neighbor? This simple question challenges our morality, our ethics, our virtue, our worldview. And it challenges who we think we are. I have spent countless hours pondering this question, and this is the conclusion I have reached.

When most people ask the question, they are usually looking to exclude someone. But the more we grow in wisdom and holiness, the more people we tend to include in our answer to the question, who is my neighbor? And for the saints, there were no strangers, just neighbors. The mandate of Divine Mercy is to continually expand our definition of neighbor until nobody stands outside the circle of our compassion. Shelter the homeless, the corporal work of mercy is an invitation to expand the definition of who we consider to be our neighbors. Mercy is always an invitation to a better life. In large ways and small ways. Homelessness is an enormous problem, but you shouldn't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do. You can volunteer at a homeless shelter. You can help out at a soup kitchen. You can buy a homeless person a meal. You can carry a granola bar and a bottle of water with you, and give that to a homeless person. You can humanize the interaction by asking the homeless person his or her name. There is so much we can do. Mercy is love reaching out to misery. And love of neighbor is proof that we love God. Trust, surrender, believe, receive.

How many people do you know who have stopped going to Mass? It's sad, isn't it? So many people don't go to Mass anymore. Any they aren't strangers. It's our family and friends very often. And the tragic part? They have no idea what they're missing out on. We want to change that at Dynamic Catholic. This year, we are focused on finishing a groundbreaking learning system that will transform the way people experience the Mass forever. And we need your help to make this dream a reality. So please, click the button below, choose your welcome gifts, and become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador today. If you're already an Ambassador, increase your gift today, and we will send you these exciting new gifts, too. 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, Harry. 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 got a couple of moments here, you could inspire the audience. So let me ask you, what is today's Holy Moment Challenge?

Apologize to someone and accept nothing in return.