In the life of the Church sometimes the spiritual devotions we practice are never explicitly connected to the work of social redemption, or social justice.
It seems that sometimes we choose either to have a devotion to, say, Our Lady of Lourdes…
…OR to put in volunteer hours contacting local legislators for change.
We either have a regular Rosary Hour…
…OR we make efforts toward the conservation of our island resources.
The upcoming feast day of St. Faustina Kowalska on October 5th is a good time to consider this question: what does the Divine Mercy devotion have to do with Karidat or the corporal works of mercy?
Let’s go back to the Old Testament for the answer to this question:
“Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
“Is it not to divide your bread [c]with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah 58:6-7)
Religious devotion is not separate from the works of mercy, but it flows from our encounter with Christ in the poor. In other words, the more active you work to relieve the suffering of the poor, for the sake of Christ, the more fervent you can expect your spiritual devotion to become.
And that’s because God, the Just Judge, is mainly in the business of Mercy. Although God has ever right to judge us all according to what we deserve, he chose to extend mercy to us, and asks us to do the same for those who have wronged us.
“Be merciful just as your Father in heaven is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
So why do we practice mercy, along with justice? Because we want to be on God’s side.
Nourished by the Eucharist, following the example and teachings of Jesus, in keeping with the word of God even from long before the lifetime of Christ, we pray and act and speak.
Here is the Prophet Isaiah again, from the same passage, which is also a promise:
“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ (Is. 58: 8-9)