The Franciscan Servants of Mercy is a religious order within the AAOCC that combines the charisms of the Franciscan Order with Jesus' commandment to love one another throughout the Gospels, particularly in his description of the Final Judgment in Matthew chapter 25 and the Beautitudes in Matthew chapter 5.
The Works of Mercy are divided into two categories: the Corporal Acts of Mercy (actions performed out of loving concern for the physical needs of one's body) & the Spiritual Acts of Mercy (actions performed out of loving concern for the spiritual needs of one's soul).
The Works of Mercy are divided into two categories: the Corporal Acts of Mercy (actions performed out of loving concern for the physical needs of one's body) & the Spiritual Acts of Mercy (actions performed out of loving concern for the spiritual needs of one's soul).
The Works of Mercy
In explaining the Final Judgement to his disciples in Matthew 25:31, Jesus explains that Christians are either included or excluded from heaven based on a set of criteria that correspond to the Corporal Works of Mercy. The first thing Jesus says is that, "I was hungry, and you fed me/didn't feed me."
The body can live without food for weeks, but without water for days. Yet, Jesus' requirements for discipleship place food ahead of water. Why? This is because Jesus' parables and statements surrounding food hint at the final meaning of his crucifixion: to give us our Passover Lamb. Two of his greatest miracles, one of which occurred on the Passover, were the feeding of thousands with bread. Food is more than a mere physical requirement: it is a celebration, an act of fellowship and family, and an act of inclusion (Jesus speaks often of those excluded from and invited to feasts). To feed the hungry means to give food to the starving, yes, but there is so much more to this act of love: it is to fill others with comfort, love, joy, and welcome. |
Water is the second most vital component of physical existence; only breath is more immediate in its necessity for life. For the community in Israel, drinkable water was a precious rarity--so much so that many laws of hospitality revolving around thirsty travelers became cultural norms in the region.
However, giving drink to the thirsty involves other matters of social justice, such as the right to clean water and our obligation to fight ecological and corporate threats to water rights for people around the globe. Theologically, giving drink to the thirsty also implies preaching the Gospel (with actions or with words) and drawing the true Water that gives Life: the unconditional love of Christ for all people. Our Lord was passionate about his requirement to assist the poor: those poor who lacked basic physical needs; those poor who lacked love; and those poor who lacked community. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."
Many of Jesus' parables refer to the dynamics between the poor and rich, the excluded and the powerful. Jesus uses these parables to illustrate the obligations that those with plenty have towards those who have nothing. Jesus' concern for the invisible and excluded in his society and religion (i.e. widows, orphans, the lame, the blind, the possessed, the judged, the hated) resonate to us, his disciples now, in this one work of mercy. |
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