As we continue to live this Lenten Season, I ask you once again to consider the Corporal Works of Mercy as something you may undertake over these days. The Corporal Works of Mercy are: to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to visit the imprisoned, to shelter the homeless, to visit the sick, to bury the dead. These works are based on Jesus’ words as recorded in the Gospel and call us to tend to the physical needs of others.
Last week, I asked you to give food to the hungry. Food is a basic staple we need to survive. In the Old Testament, God satisfied the hunger of the people by sending quails and showering down manna from Heaven. Jesus, likewise, fed multitudes throughout the Gospel accounts with loaves and fish.
Practice: This week reflect on the second Corporal Work of giving drink to the thirsty. In the Gospel of Matthew 10:42, Jesus speaks about receiving Him in this endeavor and the reward that accompanies it: “And whoever gives … a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” Also, Jesus sits by the well and asks the Samaritan woman for a drink in the Gospel of John 4:7: “A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” In light of these two accounts, and many others in the Sacred Scriptures, there will be at the doors of the Church next weekend bins for you to drop off bottles of water. The water will then be brought to the Dedham Food Pantry for distribution.