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| JESUS PREACHING ABOUT THE KINGDOM. Image from dominicancooperator.blogspot.com via google.com |
The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy are often discussed during the closing of the Liturgical Year when we read the passage about the Judgment of the Nations from the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 31 to 46 [Cycle A]. But it is worth reflecting upon as we close the Lenten Season and the Holy Week and enter into the glorious Season of Easter. So here is my Lenten reflection about the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy though not only focused on their corporeality alone.
Feed the Hungry
Jesus responded to the Tempter when He was already hungry after His 40-day sojourn in the desert and was enticed to turn stones to bread, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, "Man does not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" [Matthew 4:4].
We do have the moral obligation to feed the hungry for real bread, material food for their daily sustenance. But many, many people are not hungry for material bread only these days: they really hunger for Truth. This hunger is so intense that they fall victim to those who take advantage of such hunger feeding them with bread that does not come from heaven and words that God did not utter. We therefore have to do everything to provide them with the necessary spiritual nutrition through the Word of God so that they may be fed with the whole Truth and nothing else but the Truth.
Give Drink to the Thirsty
"I thirst" [John 19:28] Jesus said while still hanging upon the cross. But He was not only thirsting for water; He was thirsty for love and justice: love because God loved us first and He expects that we return the same love [see 1 John 4:19]; justice because as God He deserves that we adore, worship, praise and love Him alone with all our hearts, minds and strength [see Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27].
Just like how people hunger for Truth, many people are so thirsty these days for Love and Justice also. Many of us, even among us who claim to be Christians, often does not have the time to care for others, we are so busy with our own hunger and thirst that we forget and disregard that others need so much more - urgently, in fact - than we do to be cared for and be provided with love and justice. We therefore ought to take time off from all our busi-ness and give time into sharing God's love with others and helping - in accordance with Christian principles - those who are in need of achieving justice.
Clothe the Naked
Jesus said, "I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like these." [Luke 12:27; see also Matthew 6:29]. He was talking about the lilies of the field. God has provided these plants with beauty but man degrades his own; stripping himself off with his dignity just to achieve mundane honors and treasures, exposing himself to fornication, perversion and lustful living.
Many people today are exposed to extreme humiliation, debasement and inhuman treatment and they need to be clothed back with their dignity as human beings. They need to be clothed with the Dignity of being God's children, and to live in holiness and righteousness while on a pilgrimage toward the Father's house. Psalm 8: 5-6 beautifully declares,
"You have made [man] little less than a god,
you have crowned him with glory and beauty,
made him lord of the works of your hands,
put all things under his feet,"
And as the Father's dignified children, they need to be led to live in holiness: "Be holy as the Father is holy," says the Lord [Matthew 5:48; see also Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:15].
Shelter the Homeless
Jesus said, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests; but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head," [Luke 9:58; Matthew 8:20]. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ did not have a place to lay His head. So giving shelter to the homeless would be a true service to Him.
But many people do not only need material houses to shelter them: they also need families to take care of them. Families who will provide them with love and care; families who will protect and defend. Most importantly, they need a Home where they could find the Lord waiting for them to hand over to them their own place of rest - in the Father's house [see John 14: 2-3]. We must also lead them into the safety of the Holy Mother Church, the One Fold which gathers all the lost children of God [see John 10:16; John 12:32], away from the wolves, including the wolves in the sheep's clothing. Hence we must provide them with the help that they may acquire steadfast Faith.
Visit the Sick
"Your son will live," [John 4:50] Jesus assured the official. One purpose of visiting the sick is to show moral support especially by saying to them, "I pray that you get well soon."
But there are those who are sick but not physically. They are sick emotionally, spiritually and morally. They need to be provided with Christian Hope: that there is more to this life than all the sufferings, injustices and evil that seem to rule the world. More importantly, that these things may even cause our death, but we shall ultimately rise up victorious through the Lord's resurrection, which we shall also experience at the appointed time.
"I have conquered the world," [John 16:33] says the Lord.
Christian Hope assures us of eternal health for it is written in Revelation 21:4,
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain
for the old order of things has passed away."
Visit the Imprisoned
Herod loved listening to John and protected him in prison even though John pointed out his sins [see Mark 6:20; for the complete story, Matthew 14: 3-11 Mark 6: 17-28]. Many people are in prison not because they have committed crimes, but because they have been merely suspected or unjustly charged with a crime they did not commit and have no capacity to defend their innocence. Surely, they have stories to tell and sometimes all that we can do is to listen to them - for many it's more than enough: to have someone listen to them tell their story.
But with regards to John and Herod, we somehow see that they really are in the opposite conditions: Herod though he was physically out of prison, was actually imprisoned by his sins and his lack of moral integrity; John was actually free for he was not afraid to speak out the truth even if he had to be physically put into jail for his stand in favor of the truth. People like Herod need our prayer, that they may see their true condition and submit to the one authority who could free them from their bondage to sin, the Lord Jesus Christ. People like John, who manifest the virtues of Integrity and Fortitude in the face of danger and suffering, are worth our recognition and imitation.
Let us not forget what the Lord said,
"Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but not the soul.
Be afraid rather of him who can destroy both body and soul in hell."
- Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4-5
Bury the Dead
"Let the dead bury the dead," [Matthew 8:22; Luke 9:60] said the Lord to a prospective disciple who requested that he may be allowed to bury first his dead. Burying the dead is surely one of the unique characteristics of humans. But the urgency of the mission that the Lord entrusts to His disciples takes precedence over human concerns: there are others, those who are not called to a special vocation, who could do those things anyway.
But we have to tell the spiritually dead bury their dead which refer to their sins so that they may become alive in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have to surrender their lives to the Lord that they may be cleansed of their sinfulness. They have to undergo the baptism of water and the Spirit, and if they have already been baptized, they have to surrender themselves through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and resolve never to sin again. Prudence and Temperance are needed here.
We must remember the Lord's warning to the paralytic He healed at the pool,
"Don't sin anymore
or something worse may happen to you!"
- John 5:14
and His consoling words to the woman caught in adultery,
"Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."
- John 8:11
A blessed Easter Triduum to all!
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