This weekend I shall continue to highlight a few more Saints of the Church who were involved very much in their Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Let these saints be our guide always in living our faith in the way they lived their faith.

i) CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY:

a) Feed the Hungry: St. Maximilian Kolbe. St. Vincent de Paul.
b) Give Drink to the Thirsty: St. Peter Claver, St. Marianne Cope.
c) Clothe the Naked: St. Martin of Tours.
d) Visit the Sick: St. Vincent de Paul, St. Samson. 
e) Shelter the Homeless: St. Benedict, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. 
f) Visit the Imprisoned: St. Peter Nalasco, St. Saturus.
g) Bury the Dead: St. Joseph of Arimathea, St. Catherine of Siena.

ii) SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY:

a) Comfort the afflicted: St. Thomas Merton, St. Dorothy Day.
b) Counsel the doubtful: St. John Vianney, St. Francis de Sales, St. Padre Pio. 
c) Admonish sinners: St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Thomas Aquinas.
d) Forgive offenses willingly: St. Maria Goretti, St. Stephen.
e) Teach the Ignorant: St. Francis Xavier, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
f) Bear wrongs patiently: St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Maximilian Kolbe.
g) Pray for the living and the dead: St. Simeon Stylites, St. Mary of Egypt.

Today we have come to the final week of Ordinary Time. On this Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday before Advent and the closing of the Year of Mercy, we give praise and thanks to our Lord Jesus for having journeyed with us closely. Throughout the year the Lord has been strengthening our faith and showing us the way to witness Him through the works of mercy.

Since the opening of the Year of Mercy, that is on 8 December 2015, we have been faithfully walking closely with our parish theme: “BEC, Witnessing Jesus Through the Works of Mercy”. During the last BECCOT meeting on 9 November 2016, all BEC leaders stood up and shared their performances and achievements in their BEC areas in this past one-year. You have engaged with each member of your BEC inviting everyone to participate in every event, prayer meeting and celebration, either in your BEC or at parish level. I am really grateful and thankful to all BECCOT teams, BEC leaders and your core teams for organising and coordinating events and activities well in the BEC and parish level.

We have come to the end of the Year of Mercy. We thank Pope Francis for designating this as a special year in which we celebrate God’s mercy to us and to the universal Church. We have experienced and shared the mercy of God with one another. We pray for the grace and strength to witness His mercy especially to those who are poor, sick and marginalised. Let’s not forget to be merciful with our family members, those who are closest to us and the larger society as well.

I shall update you soon as to what will be our next theme at Parish level.

Fr. George Packiasamy.

SAINTS IN MERCY