Bulletin article from February 9, 2020

Dear Friends at Saint Frances Cabrini Parish and Saint Mary’s Immaculate Conception Parish:

Praised be Jesus Christ!  The first reading for this Sunday from the Prophet Isaiah is one of the sources for what we classically call the Corporal (from the Latin word for bodily) Works of Mercy.  These would be actions that God commands us to do for our fellow human beings, and that have to do with supplying the most basic of human needs.   Give shelter, give water, give clothing we are told.   These commandments are woven all throughout the pages of the Old Testament so consistently and deeply that it is clear that the people of Israel saw these duties as a fundamental part of their identity.  This would be the case even if it is also very clear from the same pages of the Old Testament that the people of Israel often failed to follow these commands. 

In fact, today’s passage demonstrates that the people of Israel began to realize that the authentic flourishing of their nation was linked to their fidelity to God’s command to care for the least in their midst, and that if they were floundering as a nation, it was because they were not being sufficiently attentive to these commands.  These are all very important insights that God showed them through the twists and turns of their long history.   This insight has been a major gift to humanity because it has driven countless people across the ages to reach out to those in need.  In this way, Israel, and later on the Church as its fulfillment, has indeed been a major light to the world, per the language of our reading this Sunday. 

To share what we have with those who do not have enough remains a core commandment for all of us to observe.  It is a task that the Catholic Church has been especially and uniquely gifted at down through the centuries.  It is a matter of constant debate how that is best accomplished in the realm of public policy, or the so-called social safety net, but what is not debatable is the need to assist those in need.  We will flourish as individuals, as households, as communities, and as a nation to the extent that we do so.