Works of Mercy

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Nehemiah 8.2-4a, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12.12-30 Luke 1.-4, 4.14-21

Many of us have been amazed this week to hear the stories of miracles coming from earthquake-ravaged Haiti. As recently as yesterday, 11 days after the quake, people have been pulled alive from the rubble – survivors against all odds. There is no earthly, human reason these people should be alive after being stuck in the midst of fallen buildings with no food or water for so long. But they are. With over 100,000 dead, even these few stories of survival are something of a miracle, a glimmer of light in a country facing unprecedented darkness and devastation.

I imagine that part of what has drawn the people of the world to care so much about the well-being of the people in Haiti is because the poverty of that country, in many ways, hinders their ability to help themselves. It’s not that we want to be seen as the saviors or almighty rescuers; it’s not that we want to be put in the spotlight because of the good that we can do. We want to do something because we know we have a responsibility, we know that our wealth and comfort and security puts us in a position to be able to bring food and shelter and hope to a people greatly in need. We are drawn to help the people of Haiti because we can, and because we must. Like Christ himself, we are called to “bring glad tidings to the lowly … to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind … to let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4.18). And that call is not limited to one group of people or one particular time. Whether it is the suffering people of Haiti, or the unjustly imprisoned; whether it is the victims of crime and war, or the unborn threatened by abortion – those of us who have been anointed by the Spirit and sent in the name of Christ are called to stand up, to speak out, to do whatever we can to bring the poor out of poverty, to bring an end to violence both domestic and abroad, and to end the senseless killing of human life through abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment.

To pray is a good thing – all good work must start with prayer. To give money to religious and humanitarian agencies that support human beings who are suffering or at risk is a good thing. To be confident in our own belief in the value and dignity of human life is a good thing. But if that’s all we do – not much more than pray, pay, and obey – if that’s all we do, then we’re missing something. To really bring glad tidings to the poor and liberty to captives, we must take the next step. Some people are called to volunteer with crisis counseling centers, helping young women who see abortion as the only choice to understand that there are other options; others are called to serve meals at a local soup kitchen. Some are called to work on Christian retreats in prisons, others are called to visit with and console the sick or the dying. Our Catholic tradition has called these actions the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy – the Corporal Works of Mercy: to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked and shelter the homeless, to visit the sick and imprisoned and to bury the dead – and the Spiritual Works of Mercy: to counsel the doubtful and instruct the ignorant, to admonish the sinner and comfort the sorrowful, to forgive injuries and bear wrongs patiently, and to pray for the living and the dead. These are the actions that most unite us to the Body of Christ and help make Christ present in the world. Because if one part of the Body of Christ suffers, then all the parts suffer with it (1 Corinthians 12.26). In ways both great and small, we can help ease the suffering, we can help ease the pain, we can help the people of our city and the people of the world find hope in the presence of Christ. God can work miracles even in our very midst. And through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the light will scatter the darkness – now and always.