February 1, 2026 - "Corporal Works of Mercy"

 Welcoming the Stranger:  St.  Benedict of Nursia

 Giving Drink to the Thirsty:  St. Peter Claver

 Healing the Sick:  St. Marianne Cope

 Feeding the Hungry:  St. Frances of Rome

 Burying the Dead:  St. Catherine of Siena

 Visiting the Imprisoned:  St. Peter Nolasco

 Clothing the Naked:  St. Martin of Tours

 

Her article is well worth reading to see how each saint lived out that work of mercy.  Another feature of that article is listing some things that we can do to practice that work of mercy.  I am going to list Emily Simpson’s ideas below.

 

Welcoming the Stranger

· Invite a new family from your parish or neighborhood to dinner or a party.

· Encourage your children to sit with the new kids at school or invite them to join their friends at lunch or play.

· Donate to organizations that care for refugees

 Giving Drink to the Thirsty

· Donate money to an organization that brings clean water to people in developing nations.

· Carry extra bottles of water in your car to give to the homeless.

· Avoid using chemicals on your lawn or other items that pollute groundwater and water supplies.

 

Healing the Sick

· Visit friends or family members who are in the hospital or nursing home.

· Run errands for the homebound

· Volunteer at the hospital

 

Feeding the Hungry

· Support an organization that feeds victims of famine, war, and systemic national poverty.

· Make a meal for a family with a new baby.

· Invite a young family or a person who lives alone to join you for dinner.

 Burying the Dead

· Prepare meals or offer assistance to those grieving loved ones.

· Contribute to organizations that provide Christian burial to the poor.

· Visit widows and widowers.

 Visit the Imprisoned

· Support or volunteer with ministries to the incarcerated.

· Donate to organizations that provide Christmas gifts or other forms of support to prisoners’ families.

Pray for those in prison.

 Clothing the Naked

· Collect used clothes from family and friends and distribute them to the homeless.

· Give your old maternity clothes or baby clothes to an expectant mother.

· Buy diapers for a young family with small children.

 

Until next week,

Fr. John