St Anne's Catholic Parish Primary School Newsletter

Religious Education

Sacraments 

For the children who are currently enrolled in our Sacramental Program, the Sacraments are still postponed at this stage but we do endeavour to continue with them as soon as we can. The Parish is sending homework via seesaw for children enrolled for the sacraments so that when the time comes they are prepared. 

Mass

Due to the restrictions regarding COVID -19 all Mass and Liturgies for the near future will be cancelled.

Prayer focus for September 

Respect for the Planet's Resources

 

We pray that the planet's resources will not be plundered, but shared in a just and respectful manner.  Amen

 

 

 

 

WORKS OF MERCY 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, works of mercy are “charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbour in his spiritual and bodily necessities” [2447] and are inspired by examples given in Scripture, particularly in the Gospel of the Beatitudes:

… I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’  And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25: 31 – 46)

Recently, Pope Francis has written and spoken about the works of mercy.  The Justice and Peace Office has provided a synthesis of this teaching below, along with further insight and guidance on undertaking these activities in today’s world.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy are:

  • Instructing the ignorant ;
  • Advising or counselling the doubtful;
  • Admonishing the sinner;
  • Consoling & comforting the sorrowful;
  • Forgiving injuries;
  • Bearing wrongs patiently; and
  • Praying for the living and the dead.

 

The corporal works of mercy are:

  • Feeding the hungry;
  • Giving drink to the thirsty;
  • Sheltering the homeless;
  • Clothing the naked;
  • Visiting the sick and imprisoned;
  • Burying the dead; and
  • Giving alms to the poor.

 

As Catholics, we see Christ in the marginalised, the vulnerable, the materially deprived and oppressed and their suffering and misery as an expression of the frailty of the human condition.  We hold them close to the heart as an “object of a preferential love on the part of the Church which, since her origin and in spite of the failings of many of her members, has not ceased to work for their relief, defence, and liberation through numerous works of charity which remain indispensable always and everywhere” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2448].

 

Works of mercy that address the ‘social and political dimensions of the problem of poverty’ are not just works of charity, but also of justice, which are pleasing to God (Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, 184).  The Compendium states:  “In her teaching the Church constantly returns to this relationship between charity and justice: “When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice”. The Council Fathers strongly recommended that this duty be fulfilled correctly, remembering that “what is already due in justice is not to be offered as a gift of charity”. Love for the poor is certainly “incompatible with immoderate love of riches or their selfish use”” (ibid.)

 

Pope Francis calls us “to reawaken our conscience [and] …enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel” (Misericordiae Vultus).  In a recent catechesis on the works of mercy, he reminds us of the teaching of Jesus Christ:  “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36), saying this is “a responsibility that challenges the conscience and actions of every Christian“.  He adds, “it is not enough to experience God’s mercy in one’s life; whoever receives it must also become a sign and instrument for others. Mercy, therefore, is not only reserved for particular moments, but it embraces our entire daily existence.” (General Audience, 12 October 2016).  Pope Francis notes that Jesus “introduces us to these works of mercy in his preaching so that we can know whether or not we are living as his disciples” (Misericordiae Vultus) and writes that “the corporal and spiritual works of mercy continue in our own day to be proof of mercy’s immense positive influence as a social value. Mercy impels us to roll up our sleeves and set about restoring dignity to millions of people; they are our brothers and sisters who, with us, are called to build a “city which is reliable” (Misericordia et misera). 

 Further,Pope Francis provides guidance on giving expression to the traditional works of mercy, encouraging us to engage with and be responsive to the needs of the vulnerable and poor around us:

Let us make every effort, then, to devise specific and responsible ways of practising charity and the works of mercy. Mercy is inclusive and tends to expand in a way that knows no limits. Hence we are called to give new expression to the traditional works of mercy. For mercy overflows, keeps moving forward, bears rich fruit. It is like the leaven that makes the dough rise (cf. Mt 13:33), or the mustard seed that grows into a tree (cf. Lk 13:19)…

The social character of mercy demands that we not simply stand by and do nothing. It requires us to banish indifference and hypocrisy, lest our plans and projects remain a dead letter. May the Holy Spirit help us to contribute actively and selflessly to making justice and a dignified life not simply clichés but a concrete commitment of those who seek to bear witness to the presence of the Kingdom of God.

 We are called to promote a culture of mercy based on the rediscovery of encounter with others, a culture in which no one looks at another with indifference or turns away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters. The works of mercy are “handcrafted”, in the sense that none of them is alike. Our hands can craft them in a thousand different ways, and even though the one God inspires them, and they are all fashioned from the same “material”, mercy itself, each one takes on a different form.

The works of mercy affect a person’s entire life. For this reason, we can set in motion a real cultural revolution, beginning with simple gestures capable of reaching body and spirit, people’s very lives. This is a commitment that the Christian community should take up, in the knowledge that God’s word constantly calls us to leave behind the temptation to hide behind indifference and individualism in order to lead a comfortable life free of problems. Jesus tells His disciples: “The poor will always be with you” (Jn 12:8). There is no alibi to justify not engaging with the poor when Jesus has identified Himself with each of them.

– Pope Francis, Misericordia et misera.

 

As our society changes and we are faced with challenging circumstances 

affecting the dignity of people, we need to be “creative in developing new and practical forms of charitable outreach as concrete expressions of the way of mercy” (Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation).   Works of mercy can address the immediate needs of individuals or contribute to the overall improvement of society, so as to reduce the likelihood our neighbours will find themselves in distress or poverty.  This is particularly the case where the organisation and structure of society give rise to poverty as a systemic or global social issue (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #208).  One expression Pope Francis included  as both a spiritual and corporal work of mercy in 2016 is ‘caring for creation’.  Referring to his recent encyclical, Laudato si’, he noted that caring for creation calls for a  “grateful contemplation of God’s world” (Laudato Si’, 214) which “allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us”.   He said it also, requires “simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness” and “makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world”.