Mercy Walks Among Us
Back in September, Pope Francis wrote about the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy in a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
“I have asked the Church in this Jubilee Year to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.”
Clearly, mercy walks among us in the form of those people – young and old – who complete one or more of those works daily. You know who they are in your part of our diocese. We honored some of them Nov. 1 with the 2015 Simon Bruté Awards. Earlier this year, we honored other through the St. Maria Goretti Youth Distinction.
I dare say that if it were possible to develop a pictorial guide to practicing the Works of Mercy, people among those two groups would dominate the images. From here, it is important to acknowledge and recognize them because otherwise, more than a few of us could have the wrong impression.
We could read words like those above from the Holy Father and conclude that there must not be much going on in regard to the Works of Mercy if Pope Francis has suggested a “rediscovery.” I don’t believe that’s his perspective. As much as anything, it occurs to me that he hopes many of us will recognize the collective face of mercy walking among us and be moved to become a part of it.
For the record, here are the Works of Mercy:
Corporal Works of Mercy
- feed the hungry
- give drink to the thirsty
- clothe the naked
- shelter the homeless
- visit the sick
- visit the imprisoned
- bury the dead
Spiritual Works of Mercy
- counsel the doubtful
- instruct the ignorant
- admonish sinners
- comfort the afflicted
- forgive offenses
- bear wrongs patiently
- pray for the living and the dead
I wouldn’t be surprised if many, after reading those two lists, think to themselves, “I do some of these things all the time. I didn’t realize I was practicing a work of mercy.”
Pope Francis speaks of a richness founded in the very nature of these works. When you say a prayer for the living or the dead, realize you are part of a much larger effort to walk with mercy. Do the same when you forgive, comfort and practice humility.
Recognize that richness when you add food to your parish’s effort to fill shelves at its food pantry – or the St. Vince de Paul food pantry – with Thanksgiving and Chistmas approaching rapidly. Embrace that richness when you adopt a family through Catholic Charities’ Christmas Giving program.
All of us can look through all of the works of mercy and recognize ways we are completing one or more of them without even realizing it. In the coming weeks, don’t lose sight of that. Instead, thank God for blessing you with opportunities to walk with mercy – and walk that walk every chance you get.
