by Miguel DeAngel
Sunday, May 29, was the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), and GS parishioners participated in our annual procession. (The procession is in Spanish, with English translations provided.) Parishioners walk from Mount Vernon High School to the church, stopping along the way for reflection, prayer, and singing. The theme for this year's procession was "The Corporal Works of Mercy." This blog post is one of the reflections offered during this year's procession.
Visit the imprisoned
Not many of us get the to visit the imprisoned. But the men and women who do this work of mercy are doing special work in the Church. The ministry of bringing Christ’s mercy to prisons whether through a simple visit or by bringing the Sacraments to the imprisoned is one way Christ’s mercy reaches for everyone’s heart. The inherent dignity of each person cannot diminish even if we commit the worst of crimes. God’s mercy continues reaching for us always.
Visit the imprisoned
Not many of us get the to visit the imprisoned. But the men and women who do this work of mercy are doing special work in the Church. The ministry of bringing Christ’s mercy to prisons whether through a simple visit or by bringing the Sacraments to the imprisoned is one way Christ’s mercy reaches for everyone’s heart. The inherent dignity of each person cannot diminish even if we commit the worst of crimes. God’s mercy continues reaching for us always.
His mercy extends to every corner of human life, even to the most hardened hearts and the darkest prisons. God’s Love is constantly calling us to an embrace with him even from the depths of the prison that is our sin. Whether you are imprisoned inside a physical fortress, imprisoned in your own home due to illness or lack of physical mobility, for mental imprisonment, economic insecurity, or whether you are a prisoner to excess, addictions or sin, God is trying to reach you where you are and meet you in his embrace.
Nowhere is this more real than in the encounter with the Most Sacred Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist puts Him in our darkness every day. Through His Most Sacred Body and Blood He redeems us with His light and His hope.
Application to our lives
Each of us can partake of His mercy. We are called to avail ourselves of the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation as means to receive His mercy and grace. But we are also called to BE His mercy for others. Once you know His mercy yourself Jesus calls you to show the Father’s mercy to others.
There are opportunities to visit the imprisoned in our diocese; opportunities to visit those imprisoned in our jails and those imprisoned in their own homes for lack of physical mobility, mental imprisonment, or economic insecurity.
So, Lord Jesus, we pray
Nowhere is this more real than in the encounter with the Most Sacred Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist puts Him in our darkness every day. Through His Most Sacred Body and Blood He redeems us with His light and His hope.
Application to our lives
Each of us can partake of His mercy. We are called to avail ourselves of the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation as means to receive His mercy and grace. But we are also called to BE His mercy for others. Once you know His mercy yourself Jesus calls you to show the Father’s mercy to others.
There are opportunities to visit the imprisoned in our diocese; opportunities to visit those imprisoned in our jails and those imprisoned in their own homes for lack of physical mobility, mental imprisonment, or economic insecurity.
So, Lord Jesus, we pray
- May our heart be opened to seeing our neighbor’s prisons as well as our own.
- May we come to know God’s Mercy in our own prisons of hate, addiction and sin.
- May we be moved with Christ’s compassion for those who find themselves in visible and invisible prisons.
- May we know God’s love and Mercy, that we may share it with others.
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