As we continue to look at the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy I would like to reflect on a second Corporal Work that of Feeding the Hungry. Much like my earlier reflection of “clothing the naked,” feeding the hungry is a fairly straightforward work of mercy. It is the act of caring for those who lack sufficient food and either through direct action, the giving of food to the person, through time and service, ministering at a food bank or kitchen or indirect care, donating food or money to a ministry, St. Vincent de Paul for instance or non-profit, Loves and Fishes in doing this we are acting in mercy towards the other.

But as Christians we are called to the deeper conversion where we are able to respond to the call of Jesus to be present and to witness his presence in the other. We best do this when we are able to sit at table and share in the bounty of God’s blessings in a meal. At the moment when we break bread our human dignity and our blessing in the eyes of God come forth as His grace shines and exposes the gift of life, shared and blessed.

Two examples of this wonderful grace of feeding the hungry give meaning to our shared life in Christ. When I was pastor of St. Catherine Parish in Morgan Hill several (3) Christian communities began serving dinner three nights a week for the poor and homeless of the community. They invited parish establish a forth night of meals and join with them in the work of mercy. We began slowly and soon discovered the blessing of the meal. We had many volunteers, young and old, who came to serve. Often there were so many helpers there were not enough jobs for each person. Joe, who had helped to start this ministry, began to sit with those who came to be fed and soon other members of the parish also came just to sit, talk and share with their brothers and sisters who came to eat this simple meal.

The second example was on my mission trip to Mexico with Sr. Gisela MESST and several young women discerning vocations to the consecrated religious life. We, the missionaries, became the fed. When we stopped at the houses to pray and celebrate our faith, they fed us. They choose to sit and eat with the stranger who came to their door. Admittedly, we were not starving but they choose to open their homes and share with us the blessings of God, to feed us not just with the food and drink offered but with their presence and joy where we recognized in each other the fullness and presence of God.

In praying with the other, our conversations of grace, in sharing the bread of life we are exposed to the true abundance of God that comes for the gift of being blessed in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our challenge is always to stop, recognize Jesus and the share in the Eucharist of life.

God bless

Fr. Mark

One of the joys of this Jubilee Year of Mercy is the “Doors of Mercy” that have been established by our Holy Father Francis and by the local bishops in each diocese in the world. These physical doors of mercy which we are all invited enter are reminders that the conversion of life is a journey and the choice to walk the way of mercy, in the example of our Lord Jesus, is a grace shared by the Church.

In paragraph #10 of Misericordiae Vultus Pope Francis call us all to be witnesses to mercy in our lives in the face of waning mercy in the wider culture, “without a witness to mercy, life becomes fruitless and sterile, as if sequestered in a barren desert. The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more.” (10)

What should the joyful call of mercy look like in our lives? I believe one of the great examples we can share is our witness to life as a blessing and gift of God’s generosity. This week we pray with many people throughout our country for a greater respect of life as we mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The need for mercy is never more evident than in this terrible injustice to the gift of life. It is because we are called to be witnesses to mercy that we should seek to become living doors of mercy available and ready to be opened to those who suffer and need to hear God’s healing words of forgiveness, mercy and love in their life. To be living doors of mercy is to accept the life-giving invitation to participate as active, fully conscious members of the Body of Christ.

As a Christian and as a priest I share God’s call to walk the footsteps of life. In particular I have witnessed the joy, the peace and the prayer filled blessing that shines forth in those who participate in the West Coast Walk for Life. The Walk for Life can be seen as a giant living door of mercy as we absorb the vitriolic shouts of those who wish we would just go away. But it is as a door of mercy that our witness brings healing to those who have suffered the trauma and sin of abortion in its many harmful facets.

Becoming living doors of mercy is the invitation of God to listen in hope and to begin in prayer. It is meeting anger with patient love and hurt with tender compassion. The victory of the Cross of Jesus Christ is the victory of love over hate and mercy healing our sins. As a Church of life we recognize that all life is placed in the mercy of God’s healing hands and that we, as the Body of Christ, are healed and become healers when we choose to become filled with mercy as our Father is heaven is filled. We become the living doors of mercy in welcoming all people, saints and sinners, to share the one-cup of salvation. “Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt 26:27-28) The one-cup, which is offered for the forgiveness of our sins and the sins of the world.

Pray for the protection of life.

God Bless

Fr. Mark

During the Jubilee Year of Mercy each Catholic Christian is invited to look more closely at how we live our faith life in service of others through the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. It is a great and positive theme to continue the examination of how we are called to be true followers of Jesus Christ in the Judeo-Christian tradition the plumbs the depths of the One True God of all Creation.

Clothing the Naked: How do we live this work of mercy in our daily lives as Christians? The answer may seem quite easy in choosing to give and share the clothes that we have or to donate money to a charity whose mission it is to clothe those who lack adequate and proper clothing. It seems simple enough.

This is all well and good on the surface but the deeper question of our relationship with God and the person who is clothed becomes the measure of the true work of mercy in our lives. When I was an associate at Holy Spirit Parish in San Jose we began working with a missionary group in Nicaragua, Amigos for Christ. As we prepared for the mission one of the suggestions was that we return to the United States, after the mission, with an empty suitcase, in other words to leave our clothes behind to help clothe those whom we had been serving during the mission.

This sounded very wonderful and seemed to be a very easy thing to do until I began to pack for the mission. What I soon discovered was I liked much of the clothes that populated my closet and therefore the choosing what to put in my suitcase was difficult. Why? Because each time I placed an article of clothing in the pile to take on the mission to Nicaragua I began to experience the gnawing suspicion that I was only packing my second best and not the first fruits of my labor. I knew something needed to change so I got on my knees and prayed.

This is the moment of conversion. Conversion are the times and places when we are called by the whisper of the Holy Spirit to confront the challenge of sin in our lives. It is where we recognize that even in our “good works” we may not be giving our very best to God.   It is the moment of choice: do I follow our Lord or do I turn away. This choice takes courage through prayer.

I wish I could say that my conversion in those hours of prayer and soul searching during my packing the suitcase was perfect: it wasn’t. I wish I could proudly proclaim that I packed only my very best: I didn’t. But did I take one, two or three steps forward in my relationship with Jesus Christ: I think I did. Do I continue to work at my conversion to grow in faith and seek to become a more perfect follower of Jesus: yes I do. The point is, we can often begin to follow the “easier” path and not asking the greater question, “What do you want of me Lord?” It is a temptation that we all share.

The only way to combat our struggle with the temptation, serving God and his holy people in the choosing of the second best is prayer. (I’ll bet no one saw that coming.) We know that prayer will not magically change us yet we do know that prayer does transform us. When we place ourselves before the Author of Truth then truth begins to fill us and we look outwards in how we serve one another. Prayer is the work of building the solid foundation for our spiritual houses so we may do the work of God standing on His Rock of Salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ.

How will you clothe the naked this week? Pray about it!

God Bless,

Fr. Mark

Mercy and forgiveness are really hard work. A recent headline on a Catholic News Page read, “Francis may be a Pope in Search of a Partner,” when speaking about the Jubilee Year of Mercy. It is a statement that finds much credence in words from world leaders that often speak about showing “no mercy” or “we will be merciless in our pursuit of justice” and words the de-humanize the enemy or perpetrator of an act of violence.

Our response to this, as Catholic Christians, is to follow the example and teachings of Jesus in turning the other cheek, not out of weakness, but in the strength of denying retribution in hatred where we descend into the same sin as those who violate our dignity and love in God and to respond with merciful justice and not justice without mercy. Many people find merciful justice too hard and this is the why Pope Francis is searching, As Christians, we know it is very hard but we also know it is possible, because God calls us to recognize the possibility of healing mercy and love in our lives. (remember the crucifix)

Choosing forgiveness and mercy does not exclude the reality of justice in the world. It is especially clear in the Spiritual Works of Mercy that we are called to engage and be with not just the victims of violence and sin but also those who act in violence and sin. Pope Francis in his Papal Bull Misericordiae Vultus (#20) is clear that seeking justice is important because of the justice of God’s law. It is in entering the natural law that is the foundation of all law we are able seek the healing work of mercy in the midst of justice.

This is where we must place our lives in the hands of God. It is in trust-filled dialogue where our hearts are open to hear and respond to God calls of forgiveness and mercy. Jesus reminds us in the Gospel (Luke 16) that those who do well with small things will be given even greater. In forgiveness and mercy we know that when we harden our hearts to the small moments of mercy, reconciliation and forgiveness in our lives then it is impossible to receive and share the gift of mercy and peace in the larger sufferings and sins of our lives.

Our Lord’s invitation to us to share in his ministry of forgiveness and mercy is firstly to enter into the gift of Divine mercy as we practice the work of mercy within our lives and our own homes. The call of mercy from our Heavenly Father is the understanding that we are all in need of mercy. Jesus shares in our suffering to let us see that it is in forgiveness and mercy that we ultimately find true life, peace and joy. Let us all be partners with our Holy Father in work of merciful justice. Pray for peace.

God Bless

Fr. Mark