On April 15, 2015 Pope Francis announced an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. It began on December 8, 2015 and will close on the Feast of Christ the King, Nov. 20. 2016.
Seeing a great need for mercy and healing in the world, Pope Francis called for the Year of Mercy as a time for the Church across the world to focus on forgiveness and healing in a special way. Pope Francis has asked us as individuals and as a Church “to be a witness of mercy” by reflecting on and practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
We are not only to seek the gift of God’s boundless mercy but we are to be merciful towards others.
Over the next few months I will offer reflections on the seven Corporal Works of Mercy and the seven Spiritual Works of Mercy. Pope Francis sees these as practical ways to live out mercy. They are how we show loving kindness, compassion, and self restraint to the people around us both physically and spiritually. The Catechism says, “the works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities” (No. 2447). While the exact list has varied slightly throughout the history of the Church, there are 14 consistently recognized 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
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel the doubtful
Admonish the sinner
Comfort the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
Pray for the living and the dead
I urge all St. Gerard Parishioners to seek a personal encounter with the all merciful Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and,
in the words of Pope Francis, “to be a witness of mercy.”
In next weekend’s bulletin (January 31) I will begin my reflections on the works of mercy beginning with “feeding the hungry”, the first Corporal work of Mercy.