With Pope Francis's Year of Mercy officially coming to an end, I would like to emphasize the importance of carrying his message forward. The Year of Mercy asks us to forgive, to be kind, and to be merciful each day. 2016 was a difficult year for us all. I am sure the majority of us experienced more sorrow, sadness, guilt, confusion and frustration than we would have liked. We experienced both life and death. We dealt with many unexpected situations, and, unfortunately, that is life. However, love can make life a little easier. I ask that each person who reads this article not only take on the responsibility of being merciful but to ask the same of those they love.

The question is, how can we live up to this? How can we remember to fulfill his message?

We smile.

We look people in the eyes when we speak to them.

We ask with genuine interest how someone is doing.

We learn to forgive.

We pray for those who hurt us and for those who hurt themselves.

We ask for forgiveness. We apologize because it is never too late to say you are sorry.

We can make a conscious effort to do more for others without expecting anything in return.

We can each be really good friends. Good friends that text long lost friends months or years later about a funny memory or to ask how they are.

We can make a conscious effort to connect with the people around us beyond a surface-level relationship.

We can give more and give often. We can give our time, our money, our friendship, or our love.

We can do so much.

Through these simple acts we can make the world a little nicer, a little kinder and a little easier.

Remember, this isn't a mission that you follow alone. As the song in "High School Musical" goes, "We're all in this together!"