‘Be merciful, just as your Father is Merciful’ (Lk. 6:36).

Each Lent we hear the exhortation: ‘Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.’ Many respond to this call with a particular Lenten resolution, whether it’s giving up chocolate, or making a commitment to attend weekday Mass more often. If you are still undecided on what you feel called to do this Lent, we humbly invite you to consider focusing on mercy. As much as mercy is never out of season in the Catholic Church, it seems to be a particularly appropriate focus in our times. The Coronavirus pandemic has only increased the number of hungry, homeless, sick, and poor in our communities and around the globe. Add to that the increased division in our nation: the blaming, the name-calling, the unwillingness to listen or extend the benefit of the doubt to others, and the misery of the situation becomes clear. Yet we know that our misery attracts God’s Mercy. And once we receive it, it overflows from our hearts to those around us, setting mercy in motion.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, ‘If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.’ Inspired by this ‘little way,’ Catholic Charities is inviting you to join us in our Mercy in Motion Campaign. Each week, we will focus on one of the Corporal Works of Mercy, offering simple, concrete ways in which you can live out the Lenten call to Pray, Fast, and Give Alms. Check your parish bulletin, our Facebook page, or stop back here for weekly updates.

This year, we will also be offering Zoom small groups so that you can share your Lenten journey with others. If you are interested in joining a small group, email Isaac at ilandsteiner@ccsomn.org.

Week 1: Feed the Hungry

February 27th, 2022

‘They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over – twelve wicker baskets full’ (Mt. 14:20).

Pray:

Fast:

  • Fast from snacking between meals.
  • Fast from wasting food.

Give:

  • Drop a meal off for a new mother, or a neighbor who is struggling in caring for family.
  • Volunteer at or donate to your local food shelf.
  • Family Activity: Participate in our Lenten ‘Feed the Hungry Challenge’
  • Donate to global anti-hunger efforts such as CRS Rice Bowl

Learn:

  • ‘It’s a terrible feeling as a mom but it’s a reality. Do you get the medicine? Do you get the fresh food? Do you get the shoes, or do you send them to school in November with sandals?’ Listen to Brittany’s Story.
  • Consider buying locally grown and/or Fair Trade food

Week 2: Give Drink to the Thirsty

March 6th, 2022

‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’ (Jn 4:13-14).

Pray:

  • Use Lectio Divina to pray with John 4:1-42 (The Woman at the Well).
  • I Thirst (Audio) – A Meditation attributed to Mother Teresa.

Fast:

  • Make a conscious effort to conserve water (toothbrushing, showers, dishes, etc.)
  • Decrease or eliminate use of bottled water.
  • Drink only water for a day.

Give:

  • Volunteer to help clean up local lakes and streams.
  • Give the gift of clean water by donating to Catholic Relief Services

Learn:

Week 3: Shelter the Homeless

March 13th, 2022

‘Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: . . . sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh’ (Is. 58:6-7)?

Pray:

Fast:

  • Lower the thermostat by 5 degrees in solidarity with those who have no warm shelter.

Give:

Learn:

  • ‘My home was repossessed because I couldn’t afford my mortgage repayments. More than that, the will had gone. When you get hit by a few things at once it affects your ability to think clearly. You are firefighting all the time. Depression saps your energy: it makes it hard to get up in the morning and put together a rational plan.’ Read about Paul’s Story.
  • Deeper Dive – Read Under the Overpass, by Michael Yankoski or Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

Week 4: Visit the Sick

March 20th, 2022

‘There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. . . She said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.’ Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction’ (Mk. 5:25, 28-29).

Pray:

Fast:

  • Fast from sweets, desserts, and/or junk food.

Give:

  • Call, or send a card to those in nursing homes.
  • Give Blood.

Learn:

  • ‘The pain of watching my daughter suffer caused crushing exhaustion and a sharp pain in my chest, making it hard to get through the day. As I passed strangers enjoying drinks in the Spanish sun, I wondered how they could chat and laugh, when our lives felt like they had been ruptured’. Read about Christine’s Experience.

Week 5: Visit the Imprisoned

March 27th, 2022

‘The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners’ (Is. 61:1).

Pray:

Fast:

  • Fast from social media and unnecessary phone use this week in solidarity with prisoners and all those who are socially isolated.

Give:

Learn:

Week 6: Bury the Dead

April 3rd, 2022

‘Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come’ (Mt. 24:42-44).

Pray:

Fast:

  • Fast from gossip, swearing, and cruel words; speak life!

Give:

  • Volunteer to help clean up neglected grave sites.
  • Attend the funeral of someone who might not have many friends or family.
  • Send a card to someone who recently lost a loved one.
  • Donate to help cover the cost of a casket for those who have lost a child (Child Casket Fund).

Learn:

Week 7: Give Alms to the Poor

April 10th, 2022

‘I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood’ (Lk. 21: 3-4).

Pray:

Fast:

  • Fast from any unnecessary spending this week.

Give:

Learn: