Today we begin a new theme as Disciples Together on the Way: The Corporal Works of Mercy.
What are the corporal works of mercy? These are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his or her bodily or, to use another word, corporeal existence. Hence the word "corporal".
These works of mercy include feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
“Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.”
As we approach the Feast of All Souls and the Month of the Holy Souls in November, Bishop Boyea's challenge this week focuses on one particular Corporal Works of Mercy: Burying the dead. He says:
"Here’s my challenge for this week: Visit a cemetery. That may be a visit to a grave of a loved one or, even better, a grave that never receives a visitor or someone to pray for their soul. In fact, if we visit a cemetery and pray for the dead between November 1 and November 8 we receive a plenary indulgence. That is the remission of the temporal punishment due for our sins whose guilt has already been forgiven."