Mercy is not an abstract concept but a lifestyle that invites Christians to make an examination of conscience and ask themselves if they place the spiritual and material needs of others before their own, Pope Francis has said.
A Christian who chooses to be merciful experiences true life and has "eyes to see, ears to listen, and hands to comfort", the Pope said during a Year of Mercy audience in St Peter's Square.
"That which makes mercy alive is its constant dynamism to go out searching for the needy and the needs of those who are in spiritual or material hardship," he said.
