Corporal Acts of Mercy

Here's a quick quiz . . .

Do you know what the corporal acts of mercy are, and have you ever performed any of them?

The corporal acts of mercy are directives to Christians pertaining to living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ through performing kindnesses to the needy in our midst. The specific acts are the following:

1. Feed the hungry.
2. Give drink to the thirsty.
3. Clothe the naked.
4. Shelter the homeless.
5. Minister to the sick.
6. Visit the imprisoned.
7. Bury the dead.

As for the second part of the question, well, only you can know the answer to that.

I was struck recently by the starkly different examples of living out the gospel presented by two prominent Roman Catholics, Roger Cardinal Mahoney of Los Angeles and Thomas S. Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and supporter of right-wing politics and politicos.

In a recent address to parishioners, Cardinal Mahoney assailed H.R. 4437. The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act would not only cruelly curtail immigrants' rights in this country but would also criminalize activities of charitable organizations that provide meals and shelter to needy persons who happen to be illegal immigrants.

A bedrock of living out the gospel is to minister to anyone in need, regardless of their immigration status. I have heard many fundamental Christians stomp their feet and complain that their right to freedom of religious expression is being abridged by laws preventing them from discriminating against gay men/lesbians/bisexuals/transgendered persons (in their language, "ho-mo-sex-shuls" and "queers") or forcing them to fill the legally obtained prescriptions of women obtained from licensed physicians. Curious that these same folks are deafeningly silent now that a law would particulary and directly discriminate against Christian religious expression.

Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In fact, we are actually called to love our neighbors in the same way that we love God. Believe it or not, there is no biblical injunction commanding us to deny housing and employment rights to GLBT persons, nor is there an order telling us not to sell birth control pills to women.

That brings me to the topic of how dear old Tommy Monaghan is living out his baptismal covenant. He has decided to focus on #4 above -- sheltering the homeless -- by building expensive shelter for upper middle-class families who are seeking to live a purely Catholic existence in sunny Florida. Mr. Monaghan is building a Catholic community and university, both called Ave Maria. His utopian village will be centered around a Catholic university, a very large Catholic church, and what is purported to be the largest crucifix in the world.

Oh, did I mention that the town won't stock condoms or birth control pills in the drug stores, will disallow X-rated television stations and pornography will not be sold anywhere in the community?

Admittedly the last few interdictions, if not exactly laudatory, may not seem worthy of disdain. But let's get real, folks. Denying people access to birth control is ridiculous and, frankly, dangerous. (Anyone ever heard of Griswold v. Connecticut?) If this municipality can disallow pornography, then disallowing anything deemed unseemly when viewed through the lens of strict Catholic teachings -- gay and lesbian literature, feminist writings, perspectives from other religions and sects -- is likely to follow.

This is censorship, plain and simple. It is decidedly un-American, and should make anyone who cherishes the First Amendment shudder.

Cardinal Mahoney called on his clerics to defy H.R. 4437 should it become law (note -- it has passed the House and is headed for the Senate). His actions make me proud to be a Christian. Monaghan's ridiculous real estate development initiative disguised as an act of religious piety ("I believe all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don't want to be on the sidelines," Monaghan, who sold Domino's Pizza in 1998 to devote himself to doing good works, said in a recent Newsweek interview. -- from CNN.com) makes me proud to continue boycotting Domino's Pizza.