In this third year of the Eucharistic Revival, we are focusing on living as a Eucharistic people. The word "Mass" comes from the Latin word, missa, meaning "mission" or "sent". Every week we gather at Mass to be nourished by the Word and the Eucharist. Fed at the Table, we are transformed into Living Tabernacles and are "sent" to bring Christ into the world!
In Luke we read, "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:35).
In his encyclical Dives in misericordia Pope John Paul II states: "Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called "to practice mercy" towards others: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt 5:7). The Church sees in these words a call to action, and she tries to practice mercy. All the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount indicate the way of conversion and of reform of life, but the one referring to those who are merciful is particularly eloquent in this regard. Man attains to the merciful love of God, His mercy, to the extent that he himself is interiorly transformed in the spirit of that love towards his neighbour. (Dives in misericordia, 14)
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. Catholic Social Teaching is how we put our faith into action, loving and caring for one another, it is the Mission of the Church. The Corporal Works of Mercy are one way we can live out our Catholic faith. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Corporal Works are described as "charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God (CCC 2447)
There are seven Corporal Works of Mercy:
- feeding the hungry
- giving drink to the thirsty
- clothing the naked
- sheltering the homeless
- visiting the sick and imprisoned
- burying the dead
Most of the list comes from the Gospel of Matthew and the final one comes from the Book of Tobit. In Matthew 25 we see that these works will be used as criteria for the Last Judgment, and people will be divided into two groups, the ones who lived them and those who did not.
Pope Francis has shown the importance of the corporal works of mercy as a central part of his papacy. He makes clear the importance of living the Word of God in our daily life, especially with regard to creation — humanity and the care of the earth. In our world today, many people are humanitarians doing good work to help others. We are a Eucharistic people, followers of Christ who transformed by the Eucharist live as Christians. We may look like "humanitarians", whose are often motivated to do good works out of social concern, self-satisfaction, or to be noticed, but or motivation is different. As disciples tranformed by the Eucharist, we perform these works because of our relationship with Jesus Christ and our commitment to follow his teachings. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "Christian life strives to order this world's goods to God and to fraternal charity" (CCC 2401).
In Matthew's Gospel we read:
"Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
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.’" (Mt 25:34-40)
Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me! To believe this is an act of faith. To see Jesus in the needy is an act of contemplation. Our spiritual life opens our eyes to see Christ, the suffering servant, in the poor. This is what makes us as disciples different from humanitarians.
What is the Mission of Mercy: Fed and Sent?
In order to grow as disciples and to live our call as Eucharistic people we have decided to launch a parish wide intiative to be Agents of Mercy, bringing Christ's love and mercy into the world. We invite all parishioners, of all ages to join our mission.
Each month we will focus on one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. We will all learn more about that Work and we will proivde you with some guidance on how to practice that Work within the parish and outside of it. We will introduce you to Saints who have given us examples on how to live each Work.
What do you do?
Read the Bulletin, the weekly "Window" and watch the website for updates each month. Learn about the featured Work, read about the featured Saint(s) and practice the Work! You can follow our suggestions or come up with your own ideas.
How did this experience transform you?
The purpose of our Mission is not to show who is the greatest among us, but to show how we are transformed by the Eucharist, by the experience of Christian Living. Hopefully, in truly practicing these Works as Disciples we will be changed by the experience.
We would love for you to share your stories with us:
- How did you feel taking on this Work?
- Did it come easy to you or is it a challenge?
- What was your experience?
- Where did you see God?
Send an email to Patti Kamper at pattikamper@stannscc.org with your story. If you prefer, take a moment to write down or draw a picture of your experience and add it to our Mission of Mercy bulletin board in the hallway leading to the restrooms.