Works of Mercy

If you're old enough, you may remember how Danny Thomas worked hard to make St. Jude's a household name for children with catastrophic illnesses, especially childhood cancer.

Here's a little about the facility:

St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility anywhere. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

We are where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly. Where doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients. Where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay. We've built America's 3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down and the funds flowing, so the science never stops.

All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay. (source)

Here is the link to their ways to help page: http://www.stjude.org/waystohelp

Labels: Charities

You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing. Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little
child, you receive me...

Mother Teresa

Labels: Love of Neighbor, Mercy thoughts

http://www.carewear.org/index.cfm
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/charity-links.html
http://craftyarncouncil.com/caps.html
http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~ebozak/knit/
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/bandages.html
http://www.geocities.com/giftsfortheunborn/patterns.html
http://knit4children.tripod.com/
http://www.bundlesoflove.org/patterns.htm
http://www.vintageknits.com/babyhat.html
http://www.dotdigital.com/sewingcharity/recipients.html#military
http://www.dotdigital.com/sewingcharity/recipients.html#military
http://www.dotdigital.com/sewingcharity/recipients.html#military
http://www.shawlministry.com/tipsheet.html
http://tlcforangels.tripod.com/tlcpatterns.html
http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/size.html
http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/
http://gailbable.tripod.com/
http://geocities.com/helmetliner/helmetliner.pdf
http://www.afghansforafghans.org/

Labels: Charity Crafting

One of the spiritual works of mercy are praying for the living and the dead. Praying for the dead is a practice from the earliest days of the church. One of the more famous early accounts was from the account of St. Perpetua, written about 202:

"A few days later, while we were all praying, I happened to name Dinocrates - at which I was astonished, because I had not had him in my thoughts. And I knew that same moment that I ought to pray for him, and this I began to do with much fervor and lamentation before God. The same night this was shown me. I saw Dinocrates coming out of a dark place where there were many others, hot and thirsty; his face was pale with the wound which he had on it when he died. Dinocrates had been my brother according to the flesh, and had died pitiably at the age of seven years of a horrible gangrene in the face. It was for him that I had prayed and there was a great gulf between us, so that neither of us could approach the other. Near him stood a font full of water, the rim of which was above the head of the child, and Dinocrates stood on tiptoe to drink. I was grieved that though the font had water he could not drink because of the height of the rim, and I awoke realizing that my brother was in travail. But I trusted that I could relieve his trouble and I prayed for him every day until we were removed to the garrison prison - for we were to fight with the wild beasts at the garrison games on Geta Caesar's festival. And I prayed for him night and day with lamentation and tears that he might be given me. The day we were in the stocks, this was shown me. I saw the place I had seen before, but now luminous, and Dinocrates clean, well-clad and refreshed; and where there had been a wound, there was now only a scar; and the font I have perceived before had its rim lowered to the child's waist; and there poured water from it constantly and on the rim was a golden bowl full of water. And Dinocrates came forward and began to drink from it, and the bowl failed not. And when he had drunk enough he came away - pleased to play, as children will. And so I awoke and I knew he suffered no longer."

"We have loved him during life, let us not abandon him, until we have conducted him by our prayers into the house of the Lord." Saint Ambrose said. Here are a small group of prayers useful for remembering those who have passed on:

O Gentlest heart of Jesus,
ever present in the Blessed Sacrament,
ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory
have mercy on the soul of Thy departed servant.
Be not severe in Thy judgment but let some drops of Thy Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames,
and do Thou O merciful Saviour send the angels to conduct (HIM, HER) to a place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen.

Incline Thine ear, O Lord, unto our prayers,
wherein we humbly pray Thee
to show Thy mercy upon the soul of Thy servant (NAME), whom Thou hast commanded to pass out of this world,
that Thou wouldst place him in the region of peace and light,
and bid him be partaker with Thy Saints.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.



Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord,
And let perpetual Light shine upon them.
May their souls
And the souls of all the faithful departed
Through the mercy of God
Rest in peace.
Amen.

Gentlest Heart of Jesus,
ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captives souls in Purgatory,
have mercy on the soul of Thy servant, (NAME);
bring (HER, HIM) from the shadows of exile to Thy bright home in Heaven,
where we trust Thou and Thy Blessed Mother have woven for her a crown of unfading bliss. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourds, pray for (HER, HIM).


O God our Father,
Creator of all the living, we entrust to Your gentle care all those we love who have gone before us;
and have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant to the souls of our departed loved ones,
the remission of all their sins,
that by means of our pious supplications, they may obtain the joy of heaven which they have earnestly desired.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Pie Jesu Domine,
dona eis requiem.

Labels: Prayers for the Dead

There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why
we try to do it as beautifully as possible.

Mother Teresa

Labels: Mercy thoughts

The Vision International mission is to combat unnecessary
blindness at home and abroad through:

• Education of eye care professionals
• Provision of surgical and medical eye care
• Creation of collaborative partnerships
• Organization of sustainable eye care programs
  in developing countries

In the US

• Care of indigent, uninsured and underinsured people
• Research projects related to eye care

Short Overseas Projects

• Sponsoring 1-2 months mini-residencies for ophthal-
  mologists from developed countries to improve their skills
• Providing supplies and equipment to Vision Int'l Fellows
• Visiting overseas clinics and eye camps

Major Overseas Projects

• Creating sustainable, high-quality, and affordable
  eye care for the developing world

Contact here

Labels: Charities

Here is a nice piece discussing the nature of Divine Mercy by Robert Stackpole:

According to the first epistle of St. John (4:8) "God is love." He is infinite, eternal, self-giving love within His own being, among the three persons of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From all eternity, therefore, within His own infinite essence, He enjoys the fullness of love given, love received, and love returned. He enjoyed that fullness of perfect love before He ever made the world — and even if He had never made any world at all, He still would have enjoyed this perfect beatitude of eternal love, for "God is love."

In that infinite, eternal love that He is, in the inner life of the Blessed Trinity, there is no need for "mercy," for there is no "want" or "misery" or "suffering" that needs to be overcome in the Infinitely Perfect Being. What then is Divine Mercy?

Saint Thomas Aquinas defined mercy in general as "the compassion in our hearts for another person's misery, a compassion which drives us to do what we can to help him." Divine Mercy, therefore, is the form that God's eternal love takes when he reaches out to us in the midst of our need and our brokenness. Whatever the name of our need or our misery might be — sin, guilt, suffering, or death — He is always ready to pour out his merciful, compassionate love for us, to help in time of need (Robert Stackpole, Jesus, Mercy incarnate, Marian Press, 2000, p. 112):

"In fact, God's love for His creatures always takes the form of merciful love. As we read in the Psalms (25:10) 'all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,' and again (145:9), 'His tender mercies are over all His works.'

"When He created the world 'ex nihilo,' therefore, and holds it in being at every moment, it is an act of merciful love: His merciful love overcoming the potential nothingness, the possible non-existence of all things.

"When the divine Son became incarnate and dwelt among us, that was an act of merciful love too: His merciful love in sharing our lot, showing us the way to the Father, and making the perfect offering for our sins.

"When He sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts to refresh and sanctify us, that too is His merciful love: His merciful love pouring into our hearts the power to grow in faith, hope, and love, and to serve him with joy. Psalm 136 says it best; while celebrating all the works of the Lord in creation and redemption, the psalm bears the constant refrain: 'for His mercy endures forever.'"

Labels: Divine Mercy