“If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men.”  (Matthew 12:7)

Does it mean that all sacrifice and mortification are useless and that we only need to love to set everything right? No, in the context of Matthew 12:7, Jesus responds to the irrationality of the Pharisees by reminding them of the Scripture, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  And He points out that the Apostles were wrongly condemned because the Pharisees do not understand this passage and this command from God for mercy. The Pharisees focus on the external aspect of the law of sacrifices and animal holocausts. Whereas God wants what is internal, spiritual aspect of the law, which is love and genuine awareness that move us to make sacrifice and act in mercy. This internal calling inspires each of us to love our neighbor and to devote ourselves to what the Church’s tradition calls the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. These works remind us that faith finds expression in concrete everyday actions meant to help our neighbors in body and spirit: by feeding, visiting, comforting and instructing them.

In this hot Summer, let us beat the heat by MERCYing, performing works of mercy?

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy:

1)Feeding the Hungry: This can include volunteering at a soup kitchen or at a service that provides food for those in need or even doing the grocery shopping for someone who is housebound.

2)Giving Drink to the Thirsty: This can range from providing a cold drink to someone when it is hot in the summer or alternatively a warm drink when it is cold in the winter

3)Clothing the Naked: This Work of Mercy is about providing clothing or blankets to those in need of them and can be done by donating or making clothes for the needy.

4)Sheltering the Homeless: This Work of Mercy is particularly focused on those who do not have their own roof above their heads and can be done by helping out at Shopfront, Little Sisters of the Poor and St Vincent de Paul.

5)Visiting the Sick: This Work of Mercy is about alleviating the suffering of the sick which can be done by providing company or other forms of assistance or volunteering at a place that cares for the sick.

6)Visiting the Imprisoned: Prison ministry is the main form of this Work of Mercy but it can also involve helping those imprisoned in other ways and also helping those formerly imprisoned integrate back into society.

7)Burying the Dead: This Work of Mercy is about honoring our neighbor, even in death, and includes attending funerals and memorials services to honor those who have died and helping those who are grieving.

The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy:

1)Instructing the Ignorant: This is a Work of Mercy when it is about giving people important information and instruction that will help them grow towards spiritual maturity.

2)Counselling the Doubtful: This is a Work of Mercy because it helps people make decisions instead of being stuck in indecision and so it can be done by being a good listener and praying for wisdom and guidance.

3)Admonishing the Sinner: This Work of Mercy needs to be done delicately from the perspective that the sinner is not an enemy but a brother or sister and so is to be done only in essential matters and at the right time.

4)Bearing Wrongs Patiently: The emphasis of this Work of Mercy is not to be a doormat but, when faced with wrongs which we can’t do much about, to bear them with great patience.

5)Forgive Offences Willingly: Forgiveness is not about ignoring the offence done to us but acknowledging the full degree of it and releasing the debt and, by setting others free, we are ourselves set free from resentment.

6)Comforting the Afflicted: This is a Work of Mercy because it is about giving people encouragement and strengthening their spirits when they are in moments of sadness which can weaken the human spirit.

7)Praying for the Living and the Dead: It may be a simple Work of Mercy but it is also powerful because it joins our works of mercy to God’s Mercy and reminds us of the power of prayer. (Written by Fr Brennan Sia, CYM Chaplain)

Peace in Christ,
Father Vincent-Vuong Nguyen