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Screen Shot 2015-12-04 at 3.42.12 PM Image Credit Michele Faehnle 2015

Today starts the Extraordinary Jubilee of the Year of Mercy and we want to celebrate by giving all the Catholicmom.com readers a free gift!

One way we are guided as Catholics to live out mercy is through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. In Misericordiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy) Pope Francis affirms our intuition that mercy should be our focus as mothers.

These acts of mercy reawaken our conscience, which too often grows dull through our own self-sufficiency. The works of mercy let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel, where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy.  He writes:

            Let us rediscover these corporal and spiritual works of mercy that Jesus first introduced in his preaching. We cannot escape these words of the Lord to us, and they will serve as the criteria upon which we will be judged: whether we have fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked, or spent time with the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31–45). Moreover, we will be asked if we have helped others to escape the doubt that causes them to fall into despair; if we have fought to overcome the ignorance in which millions of people live, especially children trapped in poverty; if we have been close to the lonely and afflicted; if we have forgiven those who have offended us and have rejected all forms of anger and hate that lead to violence; if we have had the kind of patience God shows, who is so patient with us; and if we have commended our brothers and sisters to the Lord in prayer. In each of these “little ones,” Christ himself is present. His flesh becomes visible in the flesh of the tortured, the crushed, the scourged, the malnourished, and the exiled . . . to be acknowledged, touched, and cared for by us. Let us not forget the words of Saint John of the Cross: “as we prepare to leave this life, we will be judged on the basis of love.” (Full Text Here)

As Emily Jaminet and I began to reach out to our mom friends for suggestions on how they live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy for our Catholicmom.com book Divine Mercy for Moms: Sharing the Lessons of St. Faustina, our friend Cathy shared with us:

For years we have had the works of mercy taped to the door leading out of our home into the garage.  It is a reminder for all of us that these are essential elements to our days, not one time events.

It is truly both our hearts' desire to help you live out these works of mercy in your daily life, so Emily and I (along with the amazing grapic editing skills of the staff at Ave Maria Press) have developed these "Checklists for the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy for Busy Moms."  Each sheet gives a few simple ideas that we as moms can do in our daily lives and we want to share them with you - ABSOLUTELY FREE!  That's right, just download them, print them off, hang them in your house and start living a merciful life!

Spiritual Works of Mercy for Busy Moms

Corporal Works of Mercy for Busy Moms

For more ideas visit www.divinemercyformoms.com

Copyright 2015 Michele Faehnle

About the Author

Michele Faehnle

Michele Faehnle

Michele Faehnle is a wife, mother of 4 and a school nurse. In her free time she enjoys volunteering for the church and is the co-chair of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference. She is also the co-author of The Friendship Project, Divine Mercy For Moms, Our Friend Faustina and Pray Fully; Simple Steps to Becoming a Woman of Prayer. Read more of her work at InspireTheFaith.com.