Abstract
This book is an anthology of various literary texts whose common denominator is the theme of mercy. All the texts have been taken from works of 20th and 21st century prominent Christian writers, predominantly Roman Catholic. These authors and have been grouped in six thematic parts: I. Pope Francis’ Call to Mercy: This part contains two texts authored by Pope Francis and an excerpt from Cardinal Walter Kasper’s book: Pope Francis’ Revolution of Tenderness and Love. II. Jesus and the Ethic of Love and Mercy: In this part, reflections of Leonardo Boff taken from his book Christianity in a Nutshell and reflections of Jim Forest from The Ladder of Beatitudes are presented. III. A Church of Mercy: We find here an excerpt from Jon Sobrino’s book The Principle of Mercy: Taking the Crucified People from the Cross as well as a fragment of Thomas Merton’s writings about the climate of mercy. IV. The Works of Mercy: This part contains James F. Keenan’s explanation of the biblical and patristic roots of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, Dorothy Day’s short article ‘The Scandal of the Works of Mercy’ and an excerpt of Sidney Callahan’s book, With All Our Heart and Mind: The Spiritual Works of Mercy in a Psychological Age. V. Living Mercy: In this part, we find a fragment of Joan Chittister’s book, God’s Tender Mercy: Reflections on Forgiveness and Elaine M. Prevallet’s article ‘Living in the Mercy’. VI. Praying Mercy: This final part contains two short reflections of Joyce Rupp, a poem Kyrie by R.S. Thomas and Pope Francis’ Prayer for Jubilee Year of Mercy which closes the whole anthology.
As is usually the case in anthologies, the texts selected for this book differ with regard to their readability and quality of theological thought. Moreover, given the fact that the theme of mercy is important for all Christians, regardless of their denomination, it seems that the anthology could have greater ecumenical impact if more quality texts of non-Catholic authors were included. Nevertheless, in spite of these remarks, Bochen’s anthology contains many profound theological and spiritual insights, thereby being a worthwhile read for all who want to deepen their understanding of mercy from a Christian viewpoint.