Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: April 10, 2016
We are now experiencing the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, called by Pope Francis. It will last until the Feast of Christ the King on November 20. During this year we are especially encouraged to rejoice in God’s mercy, out of which He forgives our sins when we repent of them, and offers us eternal salvation which we could not otherwise obtain.
For us human beings, mercy is a virtue, prompting us to have compassion for and try to alleviate the misfortune of others. It flows from the ideal of justice, since it deals with interpersonal relationships.
Traditionally, the types of merciful actions which we should undertake are categorized as including the corporal works of mercy:
To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To give shelter to the homeless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive; and
To bury the dead;
and the spiritual works of mercy:
To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offences willingly;
To comfort the afflicted; and
To pray for the living and the dead.
Why should we do the works of mercy? The Church actually understands to do so is the will of God, “divine law” for want of a better term, based upon the principle of the so-called “Golden Rule,” that we are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. The most famous Bible passage that deals with the necessity of our performing the works of mercy is found in chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel: those who care for the needy in various ways will “inherit the kingdom” (v. 34), while those who do not “will go off to eternal punishment” (v. 46).
When should we do the works of mercy? This is a bit more difficult to determine, because an obligation to help another is often what we call “con tin gent.” It depends greatly on the degree of their need, and on our own situation or capacity to assist. For example, to feed the hungry is a good thing, even if by doing so we ourselves go without, but it is not proper to endanger our own life or the lives of those in our care – our children, for example – by giving away all of our own food! Similarly, to instruct the ignorant and counsel the doubtful demands that we know what we are talking about: Jesus had pretty strong words of condemnation for what He called “blind guides” who do not know how to lead others rightly (see Mt 23:16ff, for instance).
But many of the works of mercy are obligatory almost always. It’s hard to think of when any of us would be excused from sharing some of our food and drink or clothing, from bearing wrongs patiently, from forgiving offences done to us by others, or from praying for the living and the dead! These are good things for us to do all the time.
May I suggest that at the beginning of this Jubilee Year of Mercy all of us reconsider how often and how well we live out the works of mercy? Yes it’s important that we receive mercy from God, but it is also necessary for us to be merciful to others in turn.
Yours in the Lord,
