Mary is a longtime employee of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton. A number of years ago, she was speaking to a crowd of people at a mall during Domestic Violence Awareness Month when a man in his 20s approached her and asked Mary if she remembered him. She apologized and said she didn’t.

The man then told Mary that he had been eight years old when he and his mother sought shelter in Catholic Charities’ safe house. Mary had been their case manager.

He explained that as a young boy, Catholic Charities was the first place he had ever felt safe and free. He told Mary that he was now a father, and a teacher and a coach. He then said, “I am the first man in five generations of my family who isn’t violent. My son will grow up to be a good man.”

Suddenly, Mary recognized him. The eight-year-old boy who had once needed shelter and support and food was standing before her, whole and strong. She was deeply moved.

That moment made Mary truly appreciate the impact of her years of work – work that can be hard and relentless and sometimes even feel thankless. That moment reminded Mary how one small act of kindness can have ripple effects that change family trajectories, breaking cycles of poverty and dysfunction. Mercy, it turns out, is redemptive.

Mary’s story is one of 42 featured in the People of Hope Museum, which is currently traveling the country for three years sharing profound stories of encounter and service in the Catholic Charities network.

The museum is a moving reminder to all who enter that living out today’s Gospel is not just possible, but necessary, for all of us.

Today’s Gospel is among the most familiar passages cited in Scripture. So often is it referenced, that is goes by its shorthand, Matthew 25. And it is familiar to us. But it bears hearing anew in the light of everything happening in our county and in our world right now. It bears hearing anew against the backdrop of daily assaults on the dignity of the human person and the callous disregard and dehumanization of whole communities of vulnerable persons.

'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'

At Catholic Charities USA, I spend most of my time in the company of people who take care of the poor very seriously and live out Matthew 25, day in and day out. These volunteers and staff serve those in need - of all backgrounds and all faiths. They see their beloved Christ in them, and they find a way to ease their pain.

For Christians, serving others is non-negotiable. A Gospel mandate. Our calling.

Let us resolve to evince genuine Christian love as we heed the mandate to feed, clothe, welcome, shelter, visit, and care for people in need.

As Pope Leo writes in Dilexi Te, “Christian love breaks down every barrier, brings close those who were distant, unites strangers, and reconciles enemies. It spans chasms that are humanly impossible to bridge and it penetrates to the most hidden crevices of society. By its very nature, Christian love is prophetic: it works miracles and knows no limits. It makes what was apparently impossible happen. Love is above all a way of looking at life and a way of living it. A Church that sets no limits to love, that knows no enemies to fight but only men and women to love, is the Church that the world needs today.”  (Paragraph 20, Dilexi Te)

I can promise you one thing: living this Gospel passage will fill you with immense joy, purpose, and meaning as you encounter others. And while caring alone won’t heal the world, caring together just might.

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