walk. What does it mean to be merciful? And what difference does it make in the life of your family?
If you consider both the corporal works of mercy — for example, give food to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, etc. — and the spiritual works of mercy altogether, it becomes clear that “being merciful” means treating others in a manner that allows them to see their profound worth in God’s eyes. Is there a more important, or more opportune, place to practice this than in the heart of your family’s home?
Each Person Is Sacred
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops once asserted that each person “must be respected with a reverence that is religious. When we deal with each other, we should do so with the sense of awe that arises in the presence of something holy and sacred. For that is what human beings are: we are created in the image of God” (Economic Justice for All, 28).
When we show mercy to others — especially by living out the various works of mercy — we remind each other that no matter what we look like, no matter what our station in life, and no matter what we have done, we are sacred and precious in God’s sight.
We’ll Always Be Royals
A popular song by singer Lorde proclaims, “We’ll never be royals.” Christians know that nothing could be further from the truth! Each person is made in God’s image and likeness. Baptism enables us to be prophets, priests, and royals. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it:
The People of God shares in the royal office of Christ. He exercises his kingship by drawing all men to himself through his death and Resurrection. Christ, King and Lord of the universe, made himself the servant of all, for he came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” [Mt 20:28]. For the Christian, “to reign is to serve him,” particularly when serving “the poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and suffering founder” [Lumen Gentium 8; cf. 36]. The People of God fulfills its royal dignity by a life in keeping with its vocation to serve with Christ. (786)
But it’s important to remember why we attend to others’ physical needs. In his Theology of the Body, Pope St. John Paul II famously asserted that “the body and it alone, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine” (General Audience, February 20, 1980). In other words, when we practice the works of mercy, we aren’t just caring for each other’s bodies; we celebrate each other’s dignity as persons and assert that each of us is an heir to the kingdom of God — destined, through God’s merciful grace, to reign with him forever.
We engage in works of mercy such as clothing the naked because every child of God deserves to be dressed in a manner that reveals his or her dignity as a son or daughter of the King of Kings! We feed the hungry because every person deserves to know he or she has a rightful place at the royal feast set at God’s table! We forgive willingly and bear wrongs patiently because we recognize the challenges involved in becoming saints, and we try to be generous about the struggle that’s part of that process. And yet, when those we love forget who they really are, neglecting to strive for greatness and, instead, deciding to wallow in their brokenness, we admonish the sinner, not to condemn or judge but to invite them to remember that they were meant to be more, and to live more fully than they are.
Mercy: The Heart of the Home
Many families mistakenly think that the ways they care for one another at home somehow don’t count and that the works of mercy are something missionaries practice when ministering to the poor in far-off lands. In truth, most people’s biggest opportunity to practice mercy — and, in particular, the works of mercy — is right at home! The Church has long taught that the family is a school of humanity: a place where children and adults together discover their value as persons by the way they love, respect, and care for one another. It’s because of this critical role that family life is ground zero for learning to walk the way of mercy. Any authentic expressions of mercy we carry out in the world must be rooted in the lessons of mercy we learn in the home. Christian parents and children work to help each other discover their worth in God’s eyes in the little interactions they share throughout the day. The way we families eat, drink, dress, keep our homes, and all the rest are not merely ways we attend to our bodily needs; they are ways we proclaim to each other, “You are a child of God!”
The Corporal Works of Mommy and Daddy & The “Little Way” of the Family
When our oldest child was preparing for his first Communion, we were reviewing the various works of mercy. When he heard that they included things like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and clothing the naked, he looked up at us and said: “You guys do those things all the time. They should call them the corporal works of mommy — and daddy too!”
In his innocent exuberance, our son stumbled upon a great spiritual truth. St. Thérèse of Lisieux promoted what she called the “little way of holiness” — the idea that every person could achieve great heights of holiness by doing small acts with great love. The works of mercy as practiced at home — what we have come to call “the corporal works of mommy and daddy” — remind us that charity truly does begin at home, and more often than not, there is no better place to remind one another what we are worth in God’s eyes — that is, to practice mercy — than in the home.
In this book, you’ll discover the multitude of little ways God wants to use the simple daily activities of your family life to remind you of your worth in his eyes and empower you to fulfill his destiny as his very own sons and daughters. The following is a taste of what you’ll uncover.
The Corporal Works of Mommy and Daddy: An Overview
Feed the Hungry: Family members truly bless one another when they create a nurturing place around the dinner table for communion and conversation to occur and when they take time to plan nourishing, heartwarming meals. Considerable research reveals the benefits of families sitting down to meals together, including everything from better physical and mental health outcomes to higher academic achievement and greater life and relationship satisfaction. Add “growing in holiness” to the list!
Give Drink to the Thirsty: What parent hasn’t been asked to get a thirsty child a drink in the middle of the night? Getting up and serving that child cheerfully with compassion is a work of mercy that reminds the child that his or her needs are important and that he or she will be heard and loved even when it is inconvenient for us to do so.
Clothe the Naked: Finding the grace to be patient while dealing with a toddler who only wants to wear the blue shirt or helping a teen dress attractively yet modestly isn’t just an exercise in patience; it’s an opportunity to help your children remember their worth in God’s eyes!
Shelter the Homeless: Putting in the thought, time, and effort it takes to make your house a welcoming home by working to make it a beautiful and orderly, yet comfortable and hospitable, place is a great way to remind yourself and your family of your dignity as children of God. And teaching your family to be good stewards of what you have been given is an important lesson in godly gratitude.
Visit the Sick: When you respond lovingly to a sick child, refusing to treat him or her as a burden or an inconvenience even though the illness has thrown your schedule into chaos, you are practicing mercy, growing in personal holiness, and showing your child his or her worth in God’s eyes and yours.
Visit the Imprisoned: It is one thing to banish our children to their rooms
