Dr. Josephine Lombardi Talks About "Divine Mercy" [Notes by: Dr. Bailey]
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Dr. Josephine Lombardi Talks About "Divine Mercy" [Notes by: Dr. Bailey]
Canadian author & theologian from St. Augustine's Seminary explains Divine Mercy in three inspiring videos (April 25, 2022)
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: DR. JOSEPHINE LOMBARDI (CANADA); NOTES BY: DR. TINA BAILEY (CANADA)
ABOUT THIS POST by our DIGITAL CAFE & BOOK CLUB LEADER:
UNDERSTANDING DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY: 3 video presentations by Dr. Josephine Lombardi — 'Overcoming obstacles to being merciful'.
Video #1 - Ignorance, Greed
Video #2 - Vengeance, Self-preservation
Video #3 - Fear, pride, hardness of heart, need to see Christ in others
ON DIVINE MERCY:
'In a series of thought-provoking short videos for Shalom Ministry's Luminous Program, theologian, Dr. Josephine Lombardi, discusses the obstacles that often prevent us from being the merciful people that Jesus calls us to be; in her talks, she offers insight into overcoming them.
Lombardi begins the conversation with reference to mercy in the Old and New Testaments, also understood as kindness, or compassion.
"Think of love as a noun, and mercy as a verb." -- Josephine Lombardi
During the Year of Divine Mercy (2016), Pope Francis reminded that the fruits of mercy are joy, serenity and peace. In contrast, the fruits of exile are despair, shame, self-loathing, and isolation. Lombardi explains that we cannot lose God's love, but we can lose His grace; and, thus, we must strive to be holy as we seek to regain this gift through reconciliation.
In her first video, Dr. Lombardi addresses two barriers to the ability to be merciful, along with examples from scripture and prayerful ways to overcome them:
Ignorance -- We may not realize our ignorance of the factors influencing human behaviour, and our own lack of self-knowledge of our weaknesses.
Greed -- We often fall into the trap of focusing on ourselves instead of others; but we have more to gain in being merciful.
"There is an exchange of spiritual gifts when we are merciful."
-- Josephine Lombardi
Video #1 - Ignorance, Greed
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
Indeed, we are called to examine our own lives before casting judgement on others: for the Lord knows that any of us may be seduced toward sin by pride, fear, desire, or anger. Can we learn also to put the needs of another before our own concerns? When we strive to put the needs of others first, God always redeems our sacrifice of generosity; however, we encounter others must do it out of love.
Dr. Lombardi — Video #2: Vengeance, Self-preservation
The second video in this series on Divine Mercy by Dr. Lombardi discusses further obstacles to being merciful, with examples from scripture:
Vengeance -- We are all vulnerable to sin, and we should not rush to judge another, even if we have not committed transgression
Self-preservation -- What would we do differently if we saw the face of Jesus in anyone who needs our help, or in everyone we encounter?
Video #3 - Fear, pride, hardness of heart, need to see Christ in others
In the final video of this Divine Mercy series, Dr. Lombardi reminds us that God wants His children to approach Him as we would a loving parent. In the Gospels, Jesus demonstrated mercy to many who were outcasts, teaching us to come to Him in reconciliation, to allow Him to heal us so that we can accept His mercy and forgiveness. When others harm us, we must work to forgive, and to pray for their restoration. Forgiveness can be hard, but we can also pray for God's grace to move our will towards his Holy Will when we find that we are struggling to forgive.
"[We] may think that church is for perfect people... but Church is a field hospital." -- Josephine Lombardi (citing Pope Francis)
REFLECTIONS:
Fear to approach -- Dr. Lombardi explores how we may think we are unworthy because of a past mistake, and how we fear to approach God's love and mercy. We must realize that He calls us back to Him.
Pride -- She reminds us that God asks us to be humble and self-aware, rather than accusing others when we may not understand the circumstances
Hardness of Heart -- Sometimes, our hearts are hardened by refusal to extend reconciliation, but we can ask the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts soft
Failure to see Christ in others -- Dr. Lombardi notes how Jesus came to be one of us to teach us how to treat others.
In other words, can we love others as unconditionally as Jesus loves us?
"God's mercy is his forgiving, generous, compassionate, patient love, whether we know it or not" -- Josephine Lombardi
ORIGINAL VIDEO SOURCE: Shalom Ministry
Bookmark Dr. Lombardi’s website here: https://josephinelombardi.com/
NOTE OF THANKS:
Thanks to Dr. Lombardi for helping us compile these videos for Divine Mercy Sunday!
Who is Dr. Lombardi?
In Toronto and Canada, she is an in demand and well-known speaker and presenter! Her talks are often sold out, and she has inspired countless hearts with her passion, down-to-earth presentations, and her ministry as a counsellor / theologian / scholar. She teaches at https://staugustines.on.ca/
Our team looks forward to recording our session with Dr. Lombardi for Episode #4 of The Rosary Hour Podcast. Dr. Lombardi will talk to our listeners worldwide about the Rosary, the Mysteries of the Rosary, and how her devotion to the Mother of God has changed her life.
Please check out her latest book “Experts in Humanity: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing”:
https://www.amazon.ca/Experts-Humanity-Josephine-Lombardi/dp/289688257X
EPISODE #4 GUEST: DR. JOSEPHINE LOMBARDI (CANADA)
DR. JOSEPHINE LOMBARDI is an award-winning author and documentary film maker who has worked as a parish minister, university campus minister, high school chaplaincy leader, teacher educator through O.E.C.T.A., professor of Religious Education, Brock University, retreat facilitator, faith formation consultant, and program coordinator in the Diocese of Hamilton. Presently, she is Associate Professor of Pastoral and Systematic Theology, and Director of Lay Formation for St. Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough, Ontario.
Dr. Lombardi has done media work in radio and television and has been an advisor to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in the area of doctrine and Catholic-Muslim relations. Her books On Earth as it is in Heaven and Experts in Humanity have been featured on Salt and Light TV. Experts in Humanity was awarded first place in the category of Family Life by the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada in 2017.
Dr. Lombardi is the Series Theologian for the new Religious Education resource for grades 1 through 8, “Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ” for Catholic School Boards in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
ROSARY HOUR PODCAST — ARTICLE FEATURE
for DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
Please download and read this paper by: Dr. Josephine Lombardi (PhD, Associate Professor of Pastoral and Systematic Theology at St. Augustine’s Seminary)
Place your comments below:
TITLE: Mercy and Beyond: Pope Francis’ Marian “Program of Life”
Need refresh on Divine Mercy?
Please visit our two previous posts:
APRIL 22, 2022: What Indulgences are attached to devotions in honour of Divine Mercy?
April 12, 2022: “Need a Refresh on Understanding the Message of Divine Mercy?”
If time permits today, please watch Episode 32:
LINK TO SERIES: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/livingdivinemercy
A useful digital resource via the Marians of the Immaculate Conception at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy — https://thedivinemercy.org