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<\/a>The Works of Mercy, by the Master of Alkmaar made for the Church of Saint Lawrence in Alkmaar, Netherlands.<\/p><\/div>\n
In the scriptures, Mercy is constitutive of God\u2019s nature. Mercy is what God does for humans because God loves each person God creates.\u00a0 As Pope Francis has noted so beautifully, God\u2019s mercy is a \u201ccaress of love.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0The mercy-ing God of the Hebrew Scriptures is fully revealed in Jesus\u2019 person and actions narrated in the New Testament. \u00a0As the gospel writers indicate, during his public ministry Jesus graciously and lovingly responded mercifully to the many people such as the lame, the blind, the deaf and the mute,\u00a0 those demon possessed and lepers\u00a0 who brought their needs to him. Jesus dined with social outcasts such as tax collectors and prostitutes and provided bread and fish for thousands of people.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Likewise, Jesus invited those who wish to follow him to engage wholeheartedly in works of mercy.<\/p>\n
So, what is the essence of Mercy? \u00a0\u00a0It is being attentive and sensitive to the needs of others whom one encounters in everyday situations.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mercy is heartfelt, compassionate love in action. \u00a0As Elaine Prevallet reflects: \u201cMercy makes our hearts spacious; it also mercies the space around us.\u00a0 Mercy becomes the space we live in.\u201d [1]<\/a> Mercy is being <\/em>in life in ways that concretize one\u2019s love of God through one\u2019s love of neighbor.\u00a0 \u00a0According to Thomas Merton, \u201cTo give mercy is \u2026 to participate \u2026in the work of the new creation and of redemption.\u201d[2]<\/a> In effect, mercy-ing is healing, restorative activity. \u00a0\u00a0With this understanding of the meaning of Mercy in mind, let us now reflect upon each of the MercyWorks, that is, the corporal works of Mercy.<\/p>\n FEED THE HUNGRY<\/strong><\/p>\n During college, Norman Borlaug studied agriculture.\u00a0 Later, this Iowan discovered how to breed highly fruitful strains of food plants which, in effect, saved the lives of a billion people, especially those in developing countries.\u00a0 Borlaug, the father of the Green revolution, died in 2009.\u00a0 Recently, a 100,000 dollar donation from the Green Bay Packers football team provided the resources for the Marian Fathers to build a bakery and instruct Rwandans on how to use it to provide food for their people.<\/p>\n The right to food is a basic human right.\u00a0 That being said, in Westchester Country, New York, which is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, currently 200,000 residents are hungry or at risk of hunger.\u00a0 More than half of these residents are seniors and one-third are children under the age of 18.\u00a0 Globally, 3 million children die of malnutrition each year. This means that every 4 seconds another child on Earth loses his or her life.<\/p>\n GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY<\/strong><\/p>\n Jesus said: \u201cWhoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water \u2026 shall not lose his or her reward.\u201d (Mt. 10:40 \u2013 42) Today, water shortages are a common reality in different parts of our world.\u00a0 For many people, safe, drinkable water is not readily available. Globally, each day several thousand children die due to diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.\u00a0 Given this reality, we might ask ourselves how far we each need to go to satisfy our thirst.\u00a0 For almost a billion people on Earth the answer to that question is at least four miles a day.<\/p>\n CLOTHE THE NAKED<\/strong><\/p>\n In Luke\u2019s gospel, Jesus instructs the person who has two coats to share with another who has none. (See Luke 3:11)\u00a0 In today\u2019s world, millions of people cannot afford to purchase adequate clothing to protect themselves from the elements.\u00a0 In contrast, there are many who possess an over-abundance in this regard. \u00a0Although clothes do not make the person, clothes and human dignity go hand-in-hand.\u00a0 That being said, engaging in this MercyWork upholds the dignity of one\u2019s brother or sister by ensuring the basic necessity of sufficient clothing.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n VISIT THE SICK<\/strong><\/p>\n During his public ministry, Jesus encountered many sick people. \u00a0He reached out in love to those suffering from illness; he spoke encouraging words to them; sometimes, he physically touched them; and he healed them of their maladies.<\/p>\n Often those who are sick become discouraged and feel lonely.\u00a0 Some of the sick live in their own homes; others are in hospitals; many reside in long-term care facilities.\u00a0 Visiting those who suffer from short or long term illness is a way of bringing comfort and care to them.\u00a0 It is a way of letting them know that they are not forgotten and that their lives matter.\u00a0 It is a way of lightening their suffering.\u00a0 One\u2019s presence and willingness to listen are immeasurable gifts to sick persons.<\/p>\n VISIT THE IMPRISONED <\/strong><\/p>\n Jesus said: \u201cI was in prison and you came to me.\u201d (Mt. 25:36) \u00a0Currently, in the United States a higher percentage of the population is in prison than in any other nation on Earth.\u00a0 Today, 2,240,000 people (one in every 139 citizens) live in prisons in our country.\u00a0 This includes a number of men and women incarcerated for crimes that they did not commit.\u00a0 Life in prison can be very hard and, in general, much is lacking in rehabilitation programs that exist in our prison system.\u00a0 Prisoners look forward to visits; they appreciate others\u2019 taking time to be with them.\u00a0 Spending time with those in prison is truly a MercyWork.<\/p>\n SHELTER THE HOMELESS<\/strong><\/p>\n The author of the Letter to the Hebrews insisted: \u201cDo not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.\u201d (13:2) Today, there are many refugees from war-torn countries and countries where safety is an issue due to human or drug trafficking.\u00a0\u00a0 Millions are leaving their lives behind to seek shelter elsewhere.\u00a0 Of note is the fact that etched on the base of the State of Liberty in New York harbor are these words:\u00a0 \u201cGive me your tired, your poor,\/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,\/ The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.\/ Send these the homeless, tempest tossed to me, \/I lift my lamp beside the golden door.<\/p>\n Also, because of floods, earthquakes and hurricanes, people can suddenly become homeless.\u00a0 Those who come to the aid of victims of these kinds of natural disasters not only rebuild homes but, more importantly, rebuild the spirits of those who suffer from such catastrophic, life-changing events.<\/p>\n Furthermore, homelessness can result from long-term unemployment or a medical condition that depletes an individual or family\u2019s financial resources.\u00a0 In the United States, a significant percentage of the homeless are military veterans.\u00a0\u00a0 Long-term homelessness can lead to alcoholism, drug abuse, or psychological illness.<\/p>\n In Rome, to the right of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica, Pope Francis had showers installed for homeless people.\u00a0 Very near to these showers, a new shelter for the homeless is being built today.\u00a0 In this way, the pope is making clear how important it is to provide shelter for those in need.<\/p>\n BURY THE DEAD<\/strong><\/p>\n In the Christian tradition, burying the dead is based on the sacredness of the human person.\u00a0 After Jesus died, his deposition from the cross, his being buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, and women\u2019s coming to the burial place on Easter Sunday to anoint Jesus\u2019 body with spices model honoring the person who has died.<\/p>\n Proper burial of the dead gives expression to words of the psalmist: \u00a0\u201cPrecious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the saints.\u201d\u00a0 (Psalm 116:15)\u00a0 It is a way of demonstrating that the life of the deceased was valued and continues to have value because she or he is sacred in the eyes of God.<\/p>\n CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n There is an urgent need in our world today to witness to Mercy by doing the corporal works of mercy.\u00a0 Pope Francis has said that what our world needs is the medicine of mercy and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI insists that \u201cThere will always be situations of material need where help in the form of concrete love of neighbor is indispensable.\u201d[3]<\/a>\u00a0 The word \u201cmisericordia\u201d (translated \u201cmercy\u201d) means a heart that gives itself to those in need.\u00a0 In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul insists that the one who does acts of mercy do so cheerfully. (See Rom. 12:8)\u00a0 And so, whenever and wherever we engage in MercyWorks, let us do so in a warmhearted and most generous way!<\/p>\n Sr. Marilyn Sunderman, R.S.M.<\/strong>, teaches theology at Saint Joseph’s College<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a>Elaine M. Prevallet, S.L., \u201cLiving in the Mercy\u201d in The Way of Mercy,<\/em> ed. Christine M. Bochen (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2016), 125.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Thomas Merton, \u201cThe Climate of Mercy\u201d in The Way of Mercy<\/em>, ed. Christine M. Bochen (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2016), 82.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a>Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter: Deus Caritas Est<\/em>, 28 [http:\/\/w2.vatican.va\/content\/benedict-xvi\/en\/encyclicals\/documents\/hf_ben-xvi_enc_2005 \u2013 accessed 10.11.2106.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Chapter 25 of the New Testament gospel of Matthew, Jesus focuses on \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0MercyWorks as the criteria of the Last Judgment.\u00a0 Herein, Jesus refers to the need to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit … Continue reading <\/a>In the Old Testament Book of Proverbs we read: \u201cA generous person will be blessed for she or he shares food with the poor.\u201d (21:13)\u00a0 Additionally, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed to fellow Hebrews that sharing \u00a0food with the hungry is the kind of fasting that God desires. (See Isaiah 58:7)<\/p>\n