65th Anniversary of Mercy High School
Baltimore, Maryland
September 24, 2025
The Imprint of Mercy
In the late 50’s, baby boomers were coming of age, the large cohort of young people born after 1946 (that would be my generation). Abp. Francis Keough, my predecessor, recognized the need for, and I quote, “a large, modern, centrally located Catholic high school for girls.” The Archbishop proceeded to invite the Sisters of Mercy to establish just such a high school.
The Sisters of Mercy took on the challenge. They built a beautiful new high school facility here on this 26-acre campus on East Northern Parkway in Baltimore. And case you didn’t know, it’s the only Catholic girls’ school in Baltimore City with playing fields onsite. But the most important thing to remember is that the Sisters of Mercy put their name and their imprint, upon this school, namely, mercy! Thus, your school strives to live up to its name, except on the basketball court where you show no mercy to your opponents! But that’s all in good fun and fair play.
Living Up to Your Name
“What’s in a name?” Juliet asks in Shakespeare’s famous play. We ask, “What’s in a name, the name of this school – Mercy High?” What is mercy? And what does it mean to be “merciful”?
Mercy is the way God loves us. When two people fall in love and are married, they are equals. When we fall in love with God, we can never equal his love for us. There is an inequality between God’s love for us and our love for God. I say this for two reasons. First, God loves us perfectly; we love God imperfectly because all of us fall into sin and compromise our love for God. But here’s what really proves the superiority of God’s love for us: God loves us, not only infinitely and persistently, but also mercifully. In his pure and infinite love, God is ready to forgive us, and more than that, to lift us up, to make us the persons he created us to be. As wise and holy people have said throughout the centuries, what really proves God’s power is his capacity to forgive … God’s mercy.
And here’s the catch: God made us in the divine image. God made us to love as he loves. It’s not that we love perfectly or infinitely, but our love for others has to be something like God’s love for us. Put plainly, followers of Jesus have to be women and men of mercy. Jesus summed up this point in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7). Mercy means being ready to forgive and forget. Mercy means taking seriously what we say in the Our Father: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Mercy Is in Short Supply
I think you might agree that mercy is in short supply these days. I don’t want to whine and complain about social media – it can and should be a real blessing. But you and I also know that it can be an awfully mean place. It’s a place where a lot of young people are bullied, and a place where some young people lose their sense of self-worth. I hope and pray that never happens to any single one of you! And I hope and pray you are bringing a spirit of mercy to a place that could really use it!
The merciless messages on social media have changed for the worse the way we talk about each other and the way we talk past one another. It’s not just that people disagree or get upset with each other; that has always happened and it always will. But today, society pits one group of people against another. It pins labels on people, categorizes them, and then condemns them. It’s judge and jury rolled into one, meting out guilty verdicts with no mercy. In the meantime, many in our society has forgotten how to listen to others. We’ve forgotten the art of give and take in discussing our ideas. Many people no longer try to see the good in what the other person is saying, or try find common ground or simply to respect the person with whom they disagree.
But, as Jesus said, “It cannot be that way with you!” Listening to our readings from Proverbs and Ephesians, I hope you were struck with the beauty of God’s creation, our common home, and the fact that you and I belong to something much larger than ourselves. We first belong to the Lord – we are God’s daughters and sons – and because we belong to God, we belong to one another. You and I didn’t invent mercy. We didn’t conjure it up. Mercy is God’s gift. Mercy is a beautiful gift that can shine forth in how we interact with others. Look at the Blessed Virgin Mary. When she found out she’d be the Mother of the Savior, she didn’t sit at home. For she also knew that her cousin Elizabeth was with child – so she went to help her, walking some 90 miles through Judea’s hill country. That’s mercy in action for you!
Upshot
The upshot is this. Mercy High School has been graduating stellar alumnae for 65 years. Each generation has its own set of challenges to face, but today the mission of Mercy High School is more relevant & urgent than ever. Your generation must face the challenge of a merciless society. You excel in faith formation, academics, the fine arts, sports, social activities, in your commitment to justice and your service of those in need. Be sure always to excel in mercy: in receiving God’s mercy and in sharing it with others. Embracing mercy so as to become a merciful person, you can make a difference and more than that – you can shape what Pope Francis called “a new kind of politics” – a politics of human solidarity, generosity, and mercy, and along the way, truly claim your status as God’s own beloved daughters. Happy anniversary, happy Mercy Day, and may God bless you and keep you always in his love!