Someone recently asked me, “What are the Corporal Works of Mercy?” So, I thought this might be a good time to write about them and share how the Corporal Works of Mercy can help us navigate a fruitful Lent and be a roadmap for our times. As we heard on Ash Wednesday, the Church invites us to pray, fast and give alms. But these are not meant to be abstract spiritual exercises. They are meant to take flesh in our lives. One of the clearest ways the Church guides us is through the Corporal Works of Mercy; to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, cloth the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned and to bury the dead. (Matthew 25:31-46)

Lent calls us to reflect - not simply on what we give up, but on who we are becoming. In a world marked by division, loneliness, violence, migration, economic strain, and deep social tension, the Corporal Works of Mercy offer more than charity, they offer a Christian response. These can move us from outrage to action, from fear to connection, from indifference to compassion. They remind us that the gospel is not lived primarily in arguments, but in concrete love.

Whose suffering have we overlooked? Lent is not about guilt; it is about conversion. It asks us to see Christ in those we might otherwise pass by.

In our restless and wounded world, the Corporal Works of Mercy ground us. They keep our faith from becoming ideology and turn it into love. May the space we create to lean into God this Lent, help to open our eyes, and may our fasting soften our hearts and our almsgiving stretch our hands so that when we meet Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters, we will recognize Him.

Perhaps this simple phrase can help us in the week ahead: Lord, help us walk in Your truth, help us walk in Your love.

DON’T FORGET … you can still donate to this year’s Catholic Appeal, “Together We Bring Light.” Drop off your envelope in the collection basket, at the Parish Office or mail it directly to the Archdiocesan Office. Please be sure to include the parish name for credit.

Also, have you decided how you will create your own Lenten Retreat? Consult the website and/or bulletin for ways you can craft a time set apart, a time of retreat. What specific practices can you commit to that will draw you closer to Christ?

Have a blessed and safe week ahead.

With you a Christian, for you, a priest.

Fr. Carl Morello
Pastor
Ascension and St. Edmund Parish
St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish