The Works of Mercy

By: Pope Francis

$16.00

Overview

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER ILLUMINATION AWARD GOLD MEDAL WINNER (CATHOLIC)

"For people of all faiths, or none at all, this book reveals the consolations offered by cultivating faith in suffering humanity--and in the healing power of the pragmatic solidarity necessary to lessen it. It's hard to imagine a more helpful guidebook for those seeking to address growing inequalities and the resentment and discord they foster. In the view of this radically inclusive and stubbornly pragmatic man of God, that should include all of us." --Paul Farmer, MD, Harvard Medical School and Partners in Health

"Thomas Merton once spoke of God as being 'mercy within mercy within mercy.' No church leader has communicated God's mercy in a more compelling way than Pope Francis." --Jim Forest,author, Loving Our Enemies

"Few other collections capture so well the message of Pope Francis. He has rejuvenated interest in traditional Catholic teaching on the works of mercy and applied them in a refreshing way to the challenges of the world today. Like all good preachers, he comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comfortable. Whichever you need, you will find it here." --Andrew James Boyd, in Reading Religion

This collection from Pope Francis will open hearts to the gospel message.

The theme of mercy has been a signature of the pontificate of Pope Francis, a theme rooted in the message of Jesus, who tied our salvation to the treatment of the least of our brothers and sisters: “I was hungry and you fed me… Imprisoned and you visited me....” In reflections drawn from his writings and preaching, Pope Francis treats in turn each of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

Each topic opens a window on a larger theme. For example, under “Welcoming the stranger,” Pope Francis reflects on the plight of refugees and immigrants. His reflections on “Visiting the prisoner” are set in the context of his own pastoral visits to prisons, where he asks the question: “Who is this man standing before you? The man standing before you is a man who has experienced forgiveness. A man who was, and is, saved from his many sins. That is who I am.”