Dear Friend,

As we approach the halfway point of our Works of Mercy Fund campaign, we pause to reflect on the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, giving alms to the poor, sheltering the homeless, visiting prisoners, visiting the sick, and burying the dead. Watch Bishop Barron’s recent Word on Fire Show episode with his reflections on the Corporal Works of Mercy.

Catholic convert Dorothy Day, Servant of God and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, said this on the evil of futility:

Young people say, “what can one person do? What is the sense of our small effort?” They cannot see that we can only lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for the one action of the present moment. But we can beg for an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize and transform these actions, and know that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes.

Growing up, many of us were taught to be charitable toward the starving children of some faraway country. Yet, as Bishop Barron explains, there are needy people all around us whom we can help here and now. Let’s not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear toward those around us, in our neighborhoods, even in our families. Let’s open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to all the needy and marginalized in our midst by seeking out opportunities to engage in these practices of mercy.

Inspired by the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, Word on Fire has created the new Works of Mercy Fund to allow donors like you to help us share books, videos, and other evangelical materials with those in need.

Please consider making a gift to help us extend the message of God’s love and mercy to those who need it most.

God bless you,

The Word on Fire Team