One night while lying awake, not an unusual occurrence with a new babe, I had the idea to go through my day, one task at a time to look at why I am soooo tired at noon. Like bone tired at noon. Aside from nightly wakings, diaper changes, baby wearing, laundry doing and day to day tasks, I wanted to write down every little thing that I did for my family starting right when I woke up in the morning. Just to see. Good idea?? Maybe not. But it was incredibly informative of the tasks that I was doing. Take a look!
When I reviewed my list, and I quit making it around 8:30 AM out of sheer fatigue, to be honest. It was a little too much to look at all at once. While reviewing my list, I had a huge realization. These are my daily tasks. The majority of the “list” were actually works of mercy.
But first, what exactly are the works of mercy and why do they matter in my day to day task list.
Corporal Works of Mercy:
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Feed the hungry
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Give drink to the thirsty
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Shelter the homeless
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Visit the sick
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Visit the prisoners
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Bury the dead
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Give alms to the poor
Looking at my daily task list and the corporal works of mercy. So many were similar! While not all of these corporal works of mercy apply to home life but a great majority of them do!
Take a look, feed the hungry and drink to the thirsty. I did the math, in newborn life and nursing, I spent about 8, yep 8 hours a day feeding my family! Between nursing, burping, snacks, food prep, actually eating, and cleaning up, it is 8 hours of the day! Pretty much a full time job! This also includes filling cups and providing that last little drink before bedtime.
In my home, I also am the one who does the laundry, clothing the naked, as well as tending to the children when they are sick. And of course, without our home and safe space to live and be, my children would be homeless. A sobering thought, for sure.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy are as follows:
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Counseling the doubtful
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Instructing the ignorant
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Admonishing the sinner
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Comforting the sorrowful
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Forgiving injuries
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Bearing wrongs patiently
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Praying for the living and the dead
Now when I looked at my list from waking to 8:30 am, the spiritual works of mercy are abundant! Comforting a child with a word of affirmation or hug or an “up” looks a lot like comforting the sorrowful; teaching my children in virtue and the faith, this totally falls under instructing the ignorant. Redirecting and teaching how to apologize after a sibling scuffle- admonishing the sinner. Praying for my family and my husband throughout the day, praying for the living.
Wow. Once I wrote down my day, ok, only the first three hours of the day, I was astonished by how motherhood and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy go hand in hand.
While reflecting on this list, I also realized the need for Jesus in these tasks. Without Him, they can seem like just tasks that overwhelm and exhaust me before noon. But with the Lord, asking Him to do the task or to help me with the task, I find myself more available to my family to complete these with joy. But don’t get me wrong, this is something I have to work on everyday.
While your “task list” may look similar or different to mine, I have no doubt that we share many of these tasks and that we need to be gently reminded that the work we do is mercy and it is for and from the Lord.
That is why I created these beautiful Works of Mercy Tea Towels to remind myself, especially in this season of spring and newness, to refresh my works and my attitude towards my daily “tasks”. These spring towels are a reminder of the profound. Because really, these tasks are works that are growing the kingdom, fulfilling sacred deeds. God calls you, and me, to fulfill these works of mercy in your home with those closest to you. When we remember this, every moment becomes a prayer. Let these tea towels remind you how sacred your home can be when serving those closest to you.
