Works of Mercy
01-08

The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy
To feed the hungry
To give drink to the thirsty
To clothe the naked
To shelter the homeless
To visit the sick
To visit the imprisoned
To bury the dead

The 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy
To counsel the doubtful
To instruct the ignorant
To admonish the sinner
To comfort the sorrowful
To forgive all injuries
To bear wrongs patiently
To pray for the living and the dead

A man walking through the forest saw a fox that had lost its legs, and he wondered how it lived. Then he saw a tiger come up with the game in its mouth. The tiger ate its fill and left the rest of the meat for the fox.

The next day God fed the fox by the means of the same tiger. The man began to wonder at God’s greatness and said to himself, “I too shall just rest in a corner with full trust in the Lord and he will provide me with all that I need.”

He did this for many days but nothing happened, and he was almost at death’s door when he heard a voice say, “O you who are in the path of error, open your eyes to the truth! Stop imitating the disable fox and follow the example of the tiger.”

Kurtz, Ernest & Katherine Ketcham: The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning (New York: Bantam Books Doubleday, 2002)

The early church had a stormy relationship with the wicked and powerful Roman government. Cycles of severe persecution interrupted by tenuous peace recurred at the whim of the emperor. Roman officials, ignorant of the actual teachings and practices of true Christians, often acted out of bigotry, fear, superstition, or misinformation. The royal court assumed that the growing Christian church operated along the same lines as their own greedy religions.

The emperor, coveting the wealth these Christians must surely possess, summoned their St. Lawrence to the royal court and ordered him to produce "the treasures of the church." The frustrated St. Lawrence protested that the church had no gold, jewels, or other valuables (which was indeed true at this point in history). The emperor, brushing aside the St. Lawrence 's objection, demanded that the riches of the church be brought to him in the morning. St. Lawrence left the royal presence quietly.

The next day the St. Lawrence dutifully appeared at the palace doorway. He was empty-handed. "I told you to bring me the treasures of the church!" the emperor raged.

St. Lawrence then invited the emperor to look out at the palace steps. Gathered together, peering sheepishly at the great doors of the royal palace rising above them, was a mass of ragged beggars, cripples, slaves, and outcasts.

"These," said St. Lawrence with a sweep of his arm, "are the treasures of the church."

For his unappreciated but accurate insight, the good St. Lawrence was promptly martyred. The treasure of the church is people. The church is not a building; it is not a doctrine; it is not a program. The body of Christ is the church.

10 Things Food Banks Need But Won’t Ask For
Some items are in high demand at the food bank and you may not realize it. Because they aren’t essentials, the staff doesn’t publicly ask for them. A survey on Reddit.com asked volunteers what items people would be most appreciative of and we’ve listed the top 10 below. If you’re looking for an easy way to help out, pick some of these up while shopping and drop them off at one of our area food banks.

1. Spices.
Think about it. People who rely on the food bank eat a lot of canned food, rice, oatmeal, white bread, etc. They love spices. Seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, oregano, basil and so on.

2. Feminine Products.
Can you imagine being worried about affording these? Pads, tampons, panty liners, etc. Recommended: Buy in bulk at Costco for donating.

3. Chocolate.
People don’t need it, but think about being in their shoes and how nice it would be to be given a chocolate bar or brownie mix along with your essentials.

4. Toiletries.
Grocery stores are great about donating surplus or unsold food, but they have no reason to donate toilet paper, tooth paste, soap, deodorant, shampoo, etc. Food stamps often don’t cover these.

5. Canned meats and jerky.
This isn’t true of all food banks, but some struggle to give users enough protein.

6. Crackers and tortillas.
They don’t spoil and everybody likes them.

7. Baby toiletries.
Diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, baby shampoo, baby soap, baby food, bottles, etc.

8. Soup packets.
Sometimes you look at rice, beans, instant potatoes, and cans of vegetable and think, “What do I make with this?” Hearty soup is a complete meal.

9. Socks.
From a former homeless person: “Socks mean the world to you. They keep you warm, make you feel like you have something new, and just comfort you.”

10. Canned fruit other than pineapple.
Food banks get a lot of pineapple donated. Their clients love it when other kinds of fruit are available.

In Germany
They came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up
- Rev. Martin Niemoller (German Protestant Minister who was killed in the Holocaust.

Rev. Martin Niemoller was protected until 1937 by both the foreign press and influential friends in the up-scale Berlin suburb where he preached. Eventually, he was arrested for treason. Perhaps due to foreign pressure, he was found guilty, but initially given only a suspended sentence. He was however then almost immediately re-arrested on Hitler’s direct orders. From then on until the end of WW II, he was held at the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. Near the end of the war, he narrowly escaped execution. [from Charles Colson’s Kingdoms in Conflict]

After the war, Niemoller emerged from prison to preach the words that began this post, that all of us know... He was instrumental in producing the “Stuttgart Confession of Guilt”, in which the German Protestant churches formally accepted guilt for their complicity in allowing the suffering which Hitler’s reign caused to occur. In 1961, he was elected as one of the six presidents of the World Council of Churches, the ecumenical body of the Protestant faiths.

Niemoller emerged also as an adamant pacifist and advocate of reconciliation. He actively sought out contacts in Eastern Europe, and traveled to Moscow in 1952 and North Vietnam in 1967. He received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1967, and the West German Grand Cross of Merit in 1971. Martin Niemoller died in Wiesbaden, West Germany on Mar 6, 1984, at the age of 92. [from the Encyclopedia Britannica].

1.  Send someone a hand-written note of thanks.
2.  Weed, trim, or shovel for a neighbor.
3.  Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger.
4.  Put some coins in someone else’s parking meter.
5. Buy a coffee/soda for someone
6.  Say a prayer for someone
7.  Walk your friend’s dog.
8.  Give a compliment about your waiter/waitress to his/her manager.
9.  Send someone a small gift anonymously.
10. Stop and help someone replace their flat tire.
 
11. Let someone jump ahead of you at the bank or grocery store.
12. Pay for the drinks or desserts at the next table over.
13. Treat a friend to the movies for no reason.
14. Give a huge tip to someone when they least expect it.
15. Hold the door open for someone.
16. Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person.
17. Make a donation in someone else’s name
18. Pick up some litter.
19. Compliment a work colleague for their excellence.
20. Give another driver your parking spot.
 
21. Give a snack (piece of fruit/granola bar) to a delivery person.
22. Help an elderly neighbor carry their trash out.
23. Tell all your family members how much you appreciate them.
24. Buy an inspirational book for a friend.
25. Send a thank you note to a person who has helped you in the past.
26. Smile at someone who frustrates you.
27. Play a game with a child & if appropriate let them win
28. Put change in a vending machine
29. Visit a sick relative or friend
30. Volunteer to do something new at Church or another non-profit.
 
31. Return your shopping cart or at the store.
32. Feed the birds.
33. Weed or shovel for a neighbor.
34. Bake a dessert for someone else.
35. Volunteer at an animal shelter
36. Visit & check in on an elderly neighbor or relative
37. Leave bubbles on a child’s door steps
38. Talk to someone new at school, church or work
39. Donate to a food pantry
40. Read a book to someone.