Mark Twain observed: “Everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” Analogously, lots of folks speak about the need for Christian community, but they don’t speak much of the practical details of what a Christian community can and should do.
Christians can be very good about talking and less good about listening. Christians can be good about praying—especially when talking to God about how to govern the world—and less adept about hearing what God has to say. Christians can generate much enthusiasm for praising charity, an enthusiasm known to wane when it comes to actually doing something charitable. These facts are not new.
So, it shouldn’t surprise us that the Church offers us a remedy for fallen man’s inclination to make gestures and strike poses (and nowadays, signal virtue) without actually getting anything done. The Church has wisely commended to us the Corporal Works of Mercy. Let’s look at these seven and reflect briefly on how they may be lived by a family, a parish, or a group of friends in the Lord.
The practical needs of the world are as persistent as they are overwhelming. We can’t do everything; we dare not do nothing; we can almost always do something. And the wisdom of the Church is that the good work we do can be so much better when we do it together.
When I write next, I will speak of a neglected aspect of the spiritual life. Until then, let’s keep each other in prayer.
