{"id":3446,"date":"2015-12-08T13:20:07","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T19:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithonthecouch\/?p=3446"},"modified":"2015-12-08T13:20:07","modified_gmt":"2015-12-08T19:20:07","slug":"the-corporal-works-of-mommy-and-daddy-living-the-year-of-mercy-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithonthecouch\/2015\/12\/the-corporal-works-of-mommy-and-daddy-living-the-year-of-mercy-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Corporal Works of Mommy (and Daddy)! –Living the Year of Mercy at Home."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"shutterstock_184848251\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pope Francis has declared this to be a Year of Mercy but\u2026so what?\u00a0 What does it mean to be merciful?\u00a0 And what difference does this year make to families?<\/p>\n

The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy<\/em> illustrate that mercy means treating others in a way that allows them to see their worth in God\u2019s eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n

We Are All Royal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We are all God\u2019s children and baptism enables us to be prophets, priests, and royals.<\/em>\u00a0 The Works of Mercy <\/em>remind us of this.\u00a0 We clothe the naked<\/em> because every child of God deserves to be dressed in a manner the reveals their dignity as a son or daughter of the King!\u00a0 We feed the hungry <\/em>because every person deserves a place at the King\u2019s table!\u00a0 We forgive willingly<\/em> and bear wrongs patiently<\/em> because we recognize it\u2019s hard to become a saint, so we try to be generous with each other\u2019s struggles.\u00a0 \u00a0And yet, when those we love forget their godly dignity we admonish the sinner<\/em>\u2013not to condemn or judge them, but to invite them to remember that they were meant to be more.<\/p>\n

The Corporal & Spiritual Works of Mommy and Daddy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When our oldest was preparing for his First Communion, we were reviewing the various Works of Mercy.<\/em>\u00a0 When he heard that they included things like feeding the hungry<\/em>, giving drink to the thirsty<\/em> and clothing the naked<\/em>, he looked up at us and said, \u201cYou guys do those things all the time.\u00a0 They should call them the Corporal Works of Mommy\u2013and Daddy too!\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Therese of Lisieux promoted the idea that every person could achieve great heights of holiness and sanctity by doing small acts with great love.\u00a0 The Works of Mercy as practiced at home\u2013what we call The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mommy and Daddy<\/em>\u2013remind us of the incredible spiritual power of everyday family life! \u00a0 Lisa and I discuss the spiritual power of family life in our book, Discovering God Together: \u00a0The Catholic Guide to Raising Faithful Kids<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and we unpack the opportunities to practice the Works of Mercy at home in our forthcoming book for Our Sunday Visitor titled The Corporal Works of Mommy and Daddy: \u00a0Living the \u201cLittle Way\u201d of Family Life.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

The Corporal Works of Mommy & Daddy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Feeding the Hungry:<\/em> When we put real thought into preparing healthy, tasty meals for our families, we create a nurturing space for communion and conversation.\u00a0 Tons of research reveals the benefits of sitting down to meals together. \u00a0Add \u201cgrowing in holiness\u201d to the list!<\/p>\n

Give Drink to the Thirsty: <\/em>What parent hasn\u2019t been asked to get a thirsty child a drink in the middle of the night?\u00a0 Serving that child cheerfully with compassion is a work of mercy that reminds the child that he or she will be heard and loved even when it is inconvenient for us to do so.<\/p>\n

Clothe the Naked:\u00a0 <\/em>Finding the grace to be patient while dealing with a toddler who only wants to wear the blue shirt or helping a teen dress attractively, yet modestly, are both exercises in patience, and opportunities to help your children remember their worth in God\u2019s eyes!<\/p>\n

Sheltering The Homeless: <\/em>Working to make your house a beautiful, orderly, welcoming, and hospitable home is a great way to remind your family of their dignity as children of God.<\/p>\n

Visit the Sick:\u00a0 <\/em>When you respond to a sick child lovingly, refusing to treat him or her as a burden or an inconvenience even though your schedule has been thrown into chaos, you are growing in compassion and showing your child his or her worth in God\u2019s eyes and yours.<\/p>\n

Visit the Imprisoned:\u00a0 <\/em>It is one thing to give our children a time-out when they have committed some offense, but when we visit them a few minutes later, talk them through their error, teach them what to do instead, and work to rebuild our relationship, we show our children they still have worth and dignity even when they mess up.<\/p>\n

Bury the Dead: <\/em>Helping a child deal with the loss of a pet, or face the death of a beloved relative requires incredible compassion and sensitivity\u2013especially when we are dealing with our own grief.\u00a0 Doing this well enables our children to connect with God\u2019s loving presence even in times of sadness.<\/p>\n

The Spiritual Works of Mommy and Daddy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Admonish the Sinner: <\/em>\u00a0When we correct our children with compassion, understanding, and love, we do more than stop the offense, we remind our children that good behavior is a blessing not a burden!<\/p>\n

Instruct the Ignorant:<\/em> When we teach our children what to do<\/em> instead of simply telling them what not to do<\/em>, or answer their never-ending questions with patience and love, or teach them all the things they need to know to live life as a gift, our families become schools of humanity<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Counsel the Doubtful: \u00a0<\/em>Sometimes our kids don\u2019t feel like they are up to the challenges they face. Taking the time to be there for our kids; to support and encourage them, reminds our children that they can accomplish all things when Christ is their strength.<\/p>\n

Comfort the Sorrowful:\u00a0 <\/em>When our children\u2019s hearts are broken, taking the time to really listen\u2013instead of either being dismissive of their pain or hurling platitudes at them in our discomfort\u2013can help connect our kids with God\u2019s consoling embrace.<\/p>\n

Bear Wrongs Patiently: <\/em>Picking our battles, and letting little offenses and mistakes go can be a huge work of mercy that inspires saintly patience in us, builds rapport with our children, and enables necessary corrections to really count.<\/p>\n

Forgive Willingly: <\/em>When our children hurt us, it can be tempting to react in anger.\u00a0 When we check that impulse and forgive our children willingly, we grow in compassion and self-control and teach our kids that they can never lose our love\u2013or God\u2019s love\u2013even when they are less than perfect.<\/p>\n

Pray for the Living and the Dead: <\/em>Teaching our children to have their own vibrant prayer life is the best way we can help our children experience the love of their Heavenly Father.<\/p>\n

Saint-Making Machines<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In this Year of Mercy, our homes can become saint-making machines if we allow The Corporal & Spiritual Works of Mommy and Daddy <\/em>to reveal the spiritual power of everyday family life! \u00a0To explore more ways you can create a grace-filled home, check out\u00a0Discovering God Together: \u00a0The Catholic Guide to Raising Faithful Kids<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pope Francis has declared this to be a Year of Mercy but\u2026so what?\u00a0 What does it mean to be merciful?\u00a0 And what difference does this year make to families? The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy illustrate that mercy means treating others in a way that allows them to see their worth in God\u2019s eyes. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1437,"featured_media":2423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,318],"tags":[196,558,557],"class_list":["post-3446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church","category-family-2","tag-mercy","tag-works-of-mercy","tag-year-of-mercy"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Corporal Works of Mommy (and Daddy)! --Living the Year of Mercy at Home.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pope Francis has declared this to be a Year of Mercy but...so what?\u00a0 What does it mean to be merciful?\u00a0 And what difference does this year make to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithonthecouch\/2015\/12\/the-corporal-works-of-mommy-and-daddy-living-the-year-of-mercy-at-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Corporal Works of Mommy (and Daddy)! 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