To honor the memory of Pope Francis
John Michael Talbot is a Grammy-award-winning Catholic musician and some kind of Franciscan monk. His rendition of the Peace Prayer, which appears at the top of the sidebar of this blog, is a great favorite of your Head Trucker's.
In his funeral sermon for Pope Francis yesterday at the Vatican, Cardinal Re recalled the late pope's persistent concern for the poor, the suffering, and the outcasts of the world, on the model of his namesake saint. This concern is at the heart of the Christian faith, as Jesus expressed it in Matthew 25:31-46, and is neatly summarized in what Catholics call the Seven Works of Corporal Mercy:
- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Clothe the naked
- Shelter the homeless
- Visit the sick
- Visit the prisoners
- Bury the dead
(This Episcopalian thinks it would not be amiss to add "and comfort the living" to that last point.)
Whether you are a Christian or not, this is a handy checklist if you find yourself wondering just what you can do to make a difference in the world. You don't have to save the whole world; just do what you can for those nearest you. I believe that the smallest act of sincere kindness - even just a friendly smile - counts for something in the scheme of the universe.
And God needs workers in other areas besides those seven. Your Head Trucker thinks He would be better pleased if you spent just an hour a week on the phone with your lonely old Aunt Sally, who always talks your ear off, than sitting and squirming for an hour in a church service you can't wait to get away from. Aunt Sally has a real hunger for human company, and it costs you nothintg but a little time and patience to give a needed lift to her spirits. That is the sort of service with which God is best pleased. But who am I to say?
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
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