Having completed the Divine Mercy Novena and having celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday, we can now attend to the commission to be disciples of Divine Mercy by our lives of service and charity. Mercy is in essence giving to someone who by normal cultural standards does not deserve the gift and who cannot respond in kind. Forgiveness is one type of mercy: an economic term at its heart, forgiveness cancels a debt for no other reason than the good will of the one who forgives.
Our Catholic tradition has given us very practical applications of mercy for life in this world. The seven Works of Mercy are the backbone of our social concerns ministry and Christ’s guide our charity. My columns for this week and the next two weeks will explore the Corporal Works of Mercy.
Mercy is a virtue. It means we are regularly, even habitually, moved to compassion to lighten the burden of another’s suffering. One of the many biblical foundations of being merciful is the Gospel of Matthew, toward the beginning in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” But it is toward the end of the gospel, in Christ’s teaching on the Day of Judgment, that we get practical advice as to what works of mercy Christians should be about: “Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” The six of the seven works of mercy that attend to the basic material needs of another are found in this passage. The seventh and final work of mercy comes from the book of Tobit, among other places, where the death of Tobit and his burial are recounted.
Feed the Hungry: In this day and age, there exist many organizations which deal with “food security.” We understand that hunger is not just an occasional misfortune, but is the result of a system of events that endangers this basic human need. Our obligation to ease hunger must not only be concerned with giving food to those who are hungry today, but working against those things which jeopardize the food security of all, especially of the most vulnerable in the world.
We are blessed by the work of the Pantry of Adair County which gives us a ready and well-organized venue to channel our efforts. They ensure that the food and monetary donations are put to the immediate benefit of those who experience hunger. PAC always is in need of more volunteers to assist in the processing and delivery of food. Consider volunteering. And as ever, when you hear the regular call for food items, please know that your generosity will be put to good use.
Give Drink to the Thirsty: The scene in the movie Ben Hur where Christ gives a cup of water to the imprisoned Judah Ben Hur always comes to mind when I consider giving water to the thirsty. Judah needed much more than water to quench his thirst for vengeance. It was only after he experienced the living water flowing with the blood from Jesus' side as he hung upon the cross, that Judah was able to turn away from hatred and embrace a life of mercy and forgiveness. Our world thirsts for water. Without it we die. As time goes on, this precious natural resource will become more and more a point of contention and violence unless we learn to share. Giving drink to the thirsty is much more than quenching temporary thirst. It means working together to ensure that just systems are put in place to protect this basic human right. It means that we should not waste or pollute this primary gift of creation. We came to know Christ in our own baptisms. Christ chose water as the primary symbol of a new life because it is one of the primary requisites for life. Every opportunity to give the gift of water to others becomes an affirmation of our baptismal promise.
Water for drinking, bathing and basic household sanitation is often taken for granted these days. But in our community there are many individuals who often have to choose which bills to pay: rent, gas for the heat, electricity, or for water and sewer. Our Quarter Sunday collections are often used to assist someone with unpaid water bills. Know that your donations make a difference in the lives of those we serve.