The Works of Mercy Keep Us on the Path to Heaven

By MICHAEL GERARD

Last week, the leaders of our diocesan Catholic schools were blessed to celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception with Bishop Barron. Afterward, we met with Bishop, who presented us with a challenge. He challenged us to focus on teaching the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy in our schools. I will argue that our world has strayed from these basic tenets of the Catholic Faith. Our society seems like it is lost. Have you ever been lost? I know I have. It is not a good feeling.

Once, I was on a portage between Clearwater Lake and West Pike in the Boundary Waters. It is nearly a mile portage. Before we began the portage, the sun was setting, and the light was growing dim. All the campsites on Clearwater were taken, and we had to go to the next lake to avoid a hefty fine for camping outside of a designated camping area. My father argued that we should risk the fine and camp on the portage. I argued that we should continue. I “won” the argument, and we donned our heavy packs and the canoe. It was a cloudy, moonless evening, and we trudged down the trail into the deep, dark, woods. To make things worse, we forgot to pack a flashlight. As we made painstakingly slow progress, my father left me and returned to the beginning of the portage to retrieve an essential piece of kit we had forgotten. I continued alone in the pitch dark, and it did not take long before I lost the narrow portage trail. I knew I lost the trail because I was beset on every side by branches. I was standing in the thick brush. I had on a heavy pack, was carrying a 70-pound canoe, and could not even see my hand in front of my face. I nearly panicked. Instead, I froze. I was not where I wanted to be. I wanted to return to the trail, likely only a few dozen feet away. I calmly and very slowly began to walk backward until I was out of the brush and on the trail again. As I continued down the dark trail, I was reunited with my father, and we had to hold hands to help each other to keep from falling over the rocks and roots along the way. Even in the pitch dark we were able to feel our way along the path and make it to the next camping spot.

I'm telling you that story to illustrate a point. I think we all can agree that our world is not on the narrow path that Jesus laid out. We have wandered off the path. We are in the bushes and can’t see. Let us stop moving forward and take a few steps back to the last place where things were OK. I am not talking about 1956 or 1565. I am talking about the good Christian path. The “you do you” attitude of today is not healthy or helpful. Many people have wandered into the bushes and can’t see a way out. It would be helpful to have a set of instructions, a path, so to speak, to follow. Living the Works of Mercy will help keep us on the path to heaven. It will help us to feel better about ourselves. Who doesn't feel better when they help a fellow human? It feels good to help, like scratching an itch on your back. It feels better when someone else does it for you. We need each other. We are not called to stoicism. We are called to love. We are called to help each other on the path to heaven.

Bishop Barron is challenging our schools to learn and live the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. He is calling us to follow in the path of Jesus. Care for the homeless, naked, hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned, and dead has all declined in recent years. Many see it as someone else's job. Ebenezer Scrooge said, “Why should I give when I am already taxed for such things.” That is the problem. We have outsourced these works and often don’t give them a second thought. We have left the path. I am the first to admit that I fall into the category of “needs improvement.” I am not okay as I am, and I can do a lot better. Sometimes, it takes a leader to stand up and call us to battle. Bishop Barron has given us a mandate and has called us to action. It is up to us to pick up the gauntlet and begin to work together. A call to get out of the bushes and onto the path. I encourage you to join us in this endeavor. Our schools need you. We need teachers, classroom aids, volunteers, and supporters. Most of all, we need your prayers. Join us in this mission to get back on the narrow path, and let us help each other achieve heaven. Heaven in short moments here on earth and for all of eternity. Many hands make light work. Join us in our mission today. God bless!

Michael Gerard is the Assistant Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.