Pope: Jesus showed acts of mercy to inspire others to follow suit March 8, 2024By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, Vatican, World News VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When it comes to inspiring people’s actions, Jesus knew that being an example to others is more important than “a flood of words,” Pope Francis said. Jesus washing his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper “is undoubtedly an eloquent symbol of the Beatitudes proclaimed by the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount and of their concrete expression in works of mercy,” the pope said in a written message March 7. “With this gesture, the Lord wanted to leave us ‘an example so that you may do as I have done,'” he wrote in the message to experts and scholars taking part in a workshop organized by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. To mark the 750th anniversary of St. Thomas Aquinas’ death, the academy organized a meeting March 7-8 to discuss the saint’s work on natural law and social ontology, that is, his understanding of social institutions, norms, roles, groups and relationships, and how they interact or influence one another. His thought has been “a main inspiration of the social doctrine of the Church,” the academy said in its workshop program. As objects of God’s love, men and women become in turn subjects of charity in the service of justice and the common good, the pope wrote. “It is this greater dynamic of charity received and bestowed that has given rise to the Church’s social teaching.” St. Aquinas “resolutely upholds the priority of works of mercy,” he wrote. “We worship God by external sacrifices and gifts, not for his own profit, but for that of ourselves and our neighbor.” “In these years of my Pontificate I have sought to privilege the gesture of foot washing, following the example of Jesus who at the Last Supper took off his cloak and washed his disciples’ feet one by one,” the pope wrote. “Indeed, as Aquinas teaches, with such an extraordinary action, Christ ‘showed all the works of mercy,'” he wrote. “Jesus knew that when it comes to inspiring human action, examples are more important than a flood of words.” Read More Saints In a moment of Vatican sweetness, Pope Leo receives lambs in ancient St. Agnes tradition Wisconsin bishop invites faithful to share stories of Marian visionary Adele Brice Capuchin friar who was one of last people with direct ties to Padre Pio dies at age 85 St. Carlo Acutis statues unveiled in Harford County parishes Jubilee set to mark 800th year since St. Francis’ death; saint’s body to be displayed Shrine prepares to share Mother Seton’s ‘Revolutionary’ impact as America turns 250 Copyright © 2024 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Print
