In this month of November, the Church in Peninsular Malaysia focuses on “Saints in Mercy.” Every Catholic is invited to imitate the mercy of Jesus as we look at the life of Saints during this Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Saints have served as witnesses to Christ and His Church.

Mercy is a virtue and a fruit of charity. It has to be lived every day in our lives. We become merciful when we place kindness, compassion and forgiveness into our daily practice. Many of the Saints of the Church have been disciples of God’s mercy and they stand out as very good examples that can help us to be role models in spreading the mercy of God. The Beatitudes of the Gospel (Mt 5: 1-12) shows us how to be a people of mercy and to be set apart to becoming a saint. In this month of November we have an opportunity to look back and celebrate the saints of the Church who have lived the words of the Gospel faithfully.

Let’s have a glance at some of the saints who transformed the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy into action and see how we can draw inspiration and wisdom from them as we come to the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Each year on 1st January, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. She played an important part in God’s plan of salvation for the whole world. She is our greatest Saint. She helps the miserable, strengthens the discouraged and comforts the sorrowful. She gives maternal care, intercedes for us and brings back the answers to our prayers.

St. Maria Domenica Mantovani (1862), whose feast we celebrate on 2nd February devoted herself to build a strong parish community and cared for the needs of others by serving the poor, visiting the sick and elderly.

St. Catherine of Siena (1347) devoted much of her life helping the prisoners and visiting the sick in the hospitals. She touched the lives of many people by comforting them with prayers and through her great writings. We commemorate her feast on April 29.

St. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901) is a saint for today’s young people. Pier or Peter Frassati was born into a wealthy family but he donated all his money to people he saw as more needy than him. He dedicated his life to works of social action, charity, prayer and community. His feast day falls on July 4.

St. John Mary Vianney (1786), spent 16 hours a day in the confessional. He was an exemplary priest who placed focus on the importance of the spiritual works of mercy, which God extends to us in the Sacraments. He too used his homilies to educate people about the Catholic faith. He is well known as the patron saint of Parish Priests and his feast day is on August 4.

We pray to these spiritual patrons as we continue to grow stronger in our faith and more effectively witnessing Jesus through the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
(To be continued…)

Fr. George Packiasamy.

SAINTS: WITNESSING JESUS THROUGH THE WORKS OF MERCY