“Living the Faith” by Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC

Jesus often tells us to be compassionate as God is compassionate. It always amazes me that Jesus has so much confidence in us that he suggests that we have the capacity to behave like God. I guess it goes along with our being made in the image and likeness of God. The question is, what are some practical ways to develop this beautiful virtue in our daily lives?

When I was growing up we learned about the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. They were tools for living a good Christian life.

Jesus tells us about the corporal works of mercy in Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. He challenges us to feed the hungry; to give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to visit the imprisoned; to shelter the homeless; to visit the sick and to bury the dead. He goes on to say that we will be judged by whether we do these things or not—a sobering thought.

At first glance we might think that we are rarely presented with opportunities to exercise these works, but, if we look a little closer, we might be surprised at how often they present themselves. For instance, feeding the hungry and thirsty does not have to be limited to literal food and water. People have all kinds of hungers and often thirst for many things. A common hunger that we all share is the hunger for love. We can help satisfy that hunger by reaching out to people, especially the lonely, and being kind and generous to others when it would be easier not to be involved. Maybe there is someone in our class or at work who needs our time and/or friendship. It could even be a family member who we tend to neglect or overlook.

Another hunger that we all share is the hunger to be listened to, to have people really care about what we say. This hunger is often so great that some people resort to paying for this service in therapy when all they might really need is a listening ear. Do we really listen with compassionate hearts?

There are also people who thirst for affirmation. How many times are we presented with opportunities to affirm the gifts of others, to let them know we notice the good that they do, but never get around to it?

What about clothing the naked? How do we do this? It might be as easy as opening our closets and deciding we don’t really need 20 sweaters or 15 pairs of shoes. We can share them with others and bring them to St. Vincent’s, Goodwill or the Salvation Army.

The next question is how do we visit the imprisoned? Do we have to go literally to prisons or jails? That is good, if the opportunity arises, but there are other ways people can be imprisoned. Maybe we could confront those who are imprisoned by drugs or alcohol and encourage them to get help, or we could visit or call shut-ins who may experience a kind of “imprisonment” in their homes.

To shelter the homeless might mean volunteering at a shelter. We all have opportunities to visit the sick and bury the dead, but do we take them? Are we afraid of hospitals and funeral homes? If so, can we at least send get well or sympathy cards.

Even more challenging are the spiritual works of mercy. They call us to admonish the sinner; to instruct the ignorant; to counsel the doubtful; to comfort the sorrowful; to bear wrongs patiently; to forgive all injuries and to pray for the living and the dead.

At first glance these seem very overwhelming. Who are we to admonish the sinner when we are sinners ourselves? One way might be to point out another’s destructive behavior—not in a righteous way but out of true care or by saying something or at least changing the subject when we find ourselves in a negative conversation about another person.

To instruct the ignorant might mean sharing our beliefs with people who have little or no knowledge of Christianity, and we can counsel the doubtful by sharing our hope in God and in God’s faithfulness.

One way to comfort the sorrowful is to acknowledge their pain and to be there for them.

To bear wrongs patiently is not easy. It takes much strength not to lash out against those who treat us unjustly. Jesus’ command to turn the other cheek is down right hard and takes a lot of practice. A suggestion is to pray for them.

A related spiritual work of mercy is to forgive all injuries. What a challenge, especially if we have been hurt deeply. One time when I was having difficulty doing this my spiritual director said that sometimes we have to pray for the desire to forgive.

Finally, compassionate people express their concern for others in prayer.

During this Holy Week it might be helpful to focus on one of these works that needs to be strengthened in our lives.

Did you enjoy this article? If so, browse our “Living the Faith” archive to read some of Sister Margie’s past reflections.