Brighton, England, Oct 4, 2016 / 05:17 am
What is the proper Catholic response to the Jubilee Year of Mercy? Put simply, the answer is "action," Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton, England told the members of his diocese last week.
"The corporal works of mercy are, simply, the outflowing of the love out of which God our Father has created us," Bishop Moth stated in a Sept. 25 pastoral letter.
"We know from St. Matthew's Gospel that the yardstick by which we shall be judged is that of our mercy to others," he continued, asking the faithful to perform mercy through good works.
The corporal works of mercy are the charitable acts that respond to the basic needs of individuals. They are found in the Gospel of Matthew, and include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison and burying the dead.