Sunday – 5th Week in Ordinary Time – A

And so traditionally, we’ve had the works of mercy. There are so many different kinds of good deeds, but to be merciful—what a beautiful virtue. Being merciful is the virtue that most assimilates us and likens us to God himself in all his beauty. And so you’ve perhaps heard of the traditional corporal and spiritual works of mercy that are not clearly listed in the new Catechism, but they were given to us with more traditional wording and more standard form in the Baltimore Catechism, where we find the seven corporal works of mercy and the seven spiritual works of mercy. And of course, Isaiah mentions a few of these in the first reading when he says, share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own (Isaiah 58:7). We need to remember that when we do these good things, people will see and should have a positive effect on those who happen to witness it for the most part. But this isn’t always the case, and I’ll go into that a bit later.

But okay, just listing off the seven corporal works of mercy. Okay, this is hands on on a human level. What do we got to do? Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and through mercy and through respect for the deceased, bury the dead. Okay, so we see how those are pretty clear. And of course, they’re addressing the fundamental needs—our bodily needs—food and drink and clothing and shelter.

Then we have the seven spiritual works of mercy that we can give ourselves to as well, right? So instruct the ignorant, meaning those who do not know the gospel and the beautiful things that our Lord has taught us. Counsel the doubtful. Okay, we all have doubts, but we can all be a source of inspiration to others, a source of strength in the faith of others, right? As Jesus prayed for Saint Peter, I have prayed for you so that when you rise from your fall, from your doubts, you in turn will strengthen your brethren (Luke 22:32). Admonish sinners. Now we do this by building first a relationship with them, okay, gently, charitably, and so that it will produce a good fruit within them. It won’t repel them from conversion, from turning their hearts to God. To bear wrongs patiently. Okay, now this is a big one. This is a big one. Because sometimes—and to forgive offenses willingly—these are two biggies.

Because when we do this, we can be a light to others who witness it, but we can also upset a number of people, right? Remember our Lord himself when he showed mercy, right? On the Sabbath, when he healed on the Sabbath, right? He was allowing his light to shine, his charity towards these people who were broken or had physical maladies. And yet, what was the reaction? Okay. Those people didn’t glorify God, but they took offense, right? Because they didn’t understand.

So sometimes when we let our light shine, not everyone will understand, right? And remember Saint John the Baptist, Saint John the Baptist and many others—Judas, for example, all the apostles—we could say they were just shocked at Jesus’s mercy, how he extended his charity towards even the Romans, the enemy, the so-called enemy, right?

What they weren’t calculating in their minds at that time was that Jesus’s final enemy, as described in Scripture, was not the Roman emperor or the emperors, but death (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:26), because ultimately each and every one of us, even should we conquer the world, will have to face the bitter reality of death, transition from this life to the next—and it doesn’t have to be bitter, but it’s a journey to get there. Like the saints, who looked forward almost to this day of their transition, their birth to eternal life. Saint Francis, who sang psalms on his way out. Our Lord, whose only recorded time in Scripture that we see him singing was the night that he went out to his death after the Last Supper (cf. Matthew 26:30).

So the takeaway from this brief homily is this: let your light shine. Some people will see that light and they will glorify God for it, and it can be a powerful tool to evangelize just the way you extend charity to others, okay. But also know that sometimes other people, some other people, might not understand you when you forgive, when you show mercy. Not everyone will be on the same page.

So there could be times when you let your light shine and instead of people glorifying God, you might find persecution. Jesus spoke of that as well, right? Blessed are you who are persecuted for the cause of righteousness, for yours is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10). In either case, give thanks to God that he has given you the grace to try to live his commands in gratitude for everything that he has done for you.

May Almighty God bless you and your loved ones and anyone who might be struggling in your life. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.