It was not long ago, when there were bumper stickers and wristbands with the term WWJD…short for “What Would Jesus Do.?” The wristbands might be gone, but the need for mercy and kindness in the world never goes out of style. With the theme of mercy and kindness, and “what would Jesus do,” here are a few actions for us to consider for the next 30 days.
Corporal Works of Mercy
Using the Corporal Works of Mercy as a guide, here are seven ways that we can offer that mercy and kindness to our neighbor, just like Jesus would.
- Feed The Hungry. Donate to a local food bank, volunteer at a soup kitchen, bring some extra food to a neighbor in need.
- Give Drink to the Thirsty. Similar to Item 1, cases of bottled water are always good to donate.
- Clothe the Naked. Apply the 1-Year Rule… if you have clothing that you have not worn in 1 year, consider donating it to charity.
- Shelter the Homeless. I struggle with this one. For me, the best way seems to be making donations to charities that do this for a living.
- Visit the sick. How about delivering some soup, or some prepared meals, or even frozen meals so the sick person (and their family) can avoid worrying about cooking for a little while, during recovery?
- Visit the imprisoned. Another one that I struggle with. I generally try to avoid prisons, but one day I will take the bold step to go visit.
- Bury the dead. This does not mean that we physically need to bury the dead. We can provide assistance with funeral arrangements, and we can offer support to the bereaved. Most churches have a crew that helps out with funerals, so perhaps you can join them one time, to see how it goes.
All of these items might be small actions to consider, but if we can all make a small contribution, large movements can begin. It is what Jesus would do.
Continue to read, for a reflection on Ascension Thursday
Simple, clear and so practical. Will try to share this one with my boys. Thank you for this, Paul!