Works of Mercy

ABC's Of Mercy
A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of
our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.

B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others.
He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.

C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are
dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.

source

Labels: Divine Mercy, Mercy thoughts

One of the spiritual works of mercy is to forgive the wrongs done to us. Forgiveness is an act of will, not an emotional good feeling. But it's hard work. Here is an article that goes into some of the hows of doing it.

Jesus has instructed us to forgive one another. How do we forgive? Forgiveness is a journey from cold bitter feelings to feelings of love and friendship. Here are seven steps you can try to learn how to forgive.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: daily

Here's How:

1. Bring the Problem to God – Sit with God and tell Him your problem. Explain that you are having difficulty forgiving a person. Listen to what God tells you.
2. Discussion – Talk with the person that you are having a problem with. Talk respectfully and stay on topic. Try to respect their opinions and feelings.
3. Look at Your Actions – Ask yourself if you’re being over sensitive or irrational. Look at the role you played in the conflict.
4. Talk to Someone You Trust – Talk with a person you trust about the problem. Don’t gossip about it, but seek advice.
5. Focus on Positive – Focus on the person’s good qualities. Remember that they do have good person, and we all make mistakes.
6. Think about When You were Forgiven - Recall a time when someone forgave you and how wonderful you felt.
7. Positive Actions – Use your anger in a more positive way. Volunteer somewhere and help people.

Tips:

1. Keep an open mind and heart.
2. Pray about it and know if you can't forgive quickly, at least you're trying.
3. Remember it is better for you to be loving instead of bitter.

What You Need:

• Open heart
• Open mind

Labels: Forgiveness

CRS Responds to Pockets of Hunger Across Africa

Countries in East Africa are continuing to cope with drought conditions that have affected the livelihoods of millions of people and left them struggling to find enough to eat. At the same time, West Africa is starting to prepare for the coming hungry season, one year after a food crisis crippled the region.

East Africa — Kenya
Rains have now started in East Africa, including Kenya, where 3.5 million people were affected by drought in recent months. But even if the rains continue, recovering from the drought will be difficult for many families who have limited access to the food they need. Declining nutrition levels are still evident in northern and eastern parts of the country, and child malnutrition rates continue to hover well above the emergency threshold.

	Farming fields withered after prolonged drought.

The widespread loss of livestock to drought conditions, and a decline in prices for these animals, have made recovery even more difficult for pastoral families. In addition, surviving animals, weakened by the conditions, are now more susceptible to diseases.

CRS/Kenya responded at the onset of the drought by diverting food to the communities with the greatest need. In recent weeks, CRS' response is continuing to grow. Using money from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, UNICEF, private donors and other sources, CRS will provide supplementary feeding for children 5 and under, clean water and sanitation, and help for farmers.

West Africa — Niger
A brutal combination of drought and locust invasions across the Sahel region last year resulted in a food crisis that affected more than 12 million people. In Niger, where 3.6 million people were at risk because of food shortages, many are still trying to recover from devastating losses. Conditions are generally better this year, but some estimates indicate that 2.7 million people in Niger — more than 20 percent of the population — are still hungry.

Having lost their crops, many families in Niger were forced to buy the food they needed by borrowing on future earnings, often reimbursing creditors in-kind with their meager harvests. This left many farmers with only enough food to meet their families' needs for less than four months. Survival strategies — such as taking day-labor jobs or selling off goods and young animals — have already become common throughout affected parts of the country. People who resort to borrowing more money have been forced to pay exorbitant interest rates, as high as 200 percent.

The result, in many cases, is hunger. Malnutrition rates have reached 16 percent in some areas of Niger that CRS serves. Farmers in the most affected communities don't have seed on hand as the rainy season approaches, signaling another difficult year for vulnerable households. CRS is gearing up to respond; activities may include feeding centers for young children and agricultural supports targeting vulnerable farmers who have lost more than half their harvest.

Labels: Charities