Mother Church teaches us the works of mercy, says Pope Francis

September 10, 2014

The Church is a “mother who teaches us the works of mercy,” Pope Francis said in his September 10 general audience.

The Pope said that “the Church teaches her sons and daughters to be merciful like the Father and the Son,” according to Vatican Radio’s English-language summary of the audience.

In the words of the summary, the Pope added that the Church

teaches by example, using words to explain her actions. She instructs us to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked, a lesson taught by many fathers and mothers to their children through the sacred rule of hospitality. She calls us to be close to the sick, clearly lived in so many hospital rooms, communities for the elderly and infirm, and private homes everywhere. She invites us to visit those imprisoned, where mercy is able to change hearts and lives, so that once freed, they may re-enter society renewed. And she asks us to be close to those who are abandoned and dying alone, where mercy brings peace to both those departing this life and those who remain.

This is essential for salvation: that we may show mercy and love not only those who love us, but also those who cannot repay us, just as the Father had mercy on us and loved us through the gift of his Son Jesus.

 

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Further information:

• Pope at Audience: The essence of Mercy (Vatican Radio)