GROWING IN MERCY
FROM THIRD WORLD VILLAGES
TO THE CLASSROOM
Presented by
SAMUEL CLEAR
Thursday 14th July - Melbourne CEO
Background
I am an adventurer-at-heart, author, documentary producer, & Catholic missionary, who happens to
also have a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I’ve never used the degree for much other than
getting Mum off my back. My full-time profession is as a retreat facilitator and seminar provider.
The content of my presentation at the 2016 Melbourne Catholic Education Office conference
focuses on the need for mercy as an action, rather than simply an inaction where we don’t
retaliate. The presentations marry church teachings with the experiences of the 2006 to 2008 walk
around the world for unity, and how those lessons can impact on a student’s perception of mercy.
Walk4one
The walk4one spanned 568 days and some 15,600km on foot around the world, from the eastern
most point of South America to the western most point of Europe, praying of the complete unity of
Christians. It nearly cost me my life 11 times. The journey encompassed 10 languages, 80℃ of
temperatures, a litany of engrossing characters and a mission for unity that was so simple in it’s
detail, but so confronting in its realisation.
I changed significantly through the extreme conditions I found myself in, both physically, and
spiritually. There is a beautiful line in the Catechism regarding faith, that;
…the assent of faith is “by no means a blind impulse of the mind.” CCC 156
The walk around the world Christian unity provided the platform for my faith to grow through the
encounter with God in all things.
The Works of Mercy
It’s easy for us to view mercy as an inaction, “I won’t react to this person’s taunts,” or “I won’t
deliver justice on this person,” and whilst there is an element of mercy in these thoughts, we run
the risk of missing the greater substance of mercy if left at this. Mercy, essentially, encompasses
far more action than inaction.
CCC 2447
The Corporal Works of Mercy
1. Feed the Hungry
2. Give Drink to the Thirsty
3. Clothe the Naked
4. Harbour the Defenceless
5. Visit the Sick
6. Ransom the Captives
7. Bury the Dead
For each of the Corporal Works of Mercy you may be able to recall a specific scriptural account of
Jesus engaging in or exhorting us to engage in these (Cf: Mt 6:2-4, Mt 25:31-46 & Tob 4:5-11). As
a side-note you may, however, recall a scripture passage regarding burying the dead where we are
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exhorted not to worry about burying them - “Let the dead bury the dead.” There is a difference
though; do we know why?
I’ve found that I am prone to producing excuses for when it is or is not appropriate to exercise
these Corporal Works of Mercy. Over the course of the walk for unity I was confronted with the
extent to which it was possible to carry God’s mercy to those around us.
Clothing the naked
During the talk I will share a story of a young man in Mexico who new that my neck would likely be
sunburnt because my shirt didn’t have a collar. His response was to give me the shirt off his own
back. I wasn’t naked, but my neck was, and he saw in that moment an opportunity to be merciful.
Feeding the hungry
We all know what it means to feed the hungry, but I was challenged in Panama when I met a
young man who had nothing to eat, and yet went out of his way to ensure that I did. Even when he
had nothing there was still no excuse in him for not being merciful.
In both instances I didn’t deserve their help, but we aren’t called to be merciful to others because
they are good; we are merciful to others for their physical and spiritual needs, so that they
themselves may experience good.
1.
2.
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CCC 2447
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
Instruct the Ignorant
Counsel the Doubtful
Admonish the Sinners
Bear Wrongs Patiently
Forgive Offences willingly
Comfort the Afflicted
Pray for the Living & the Dead
Bearing wrongs patiently and forgiving offences willingly are perhaps the two works of mercy
most associated with the word mercy in our everyday use. At a basic level, to bear wrongs
patiently, allows for love to grow. This was highlighted for me in Venezuela during a racial fuelled
water fight whilst walking through a country town. By maintaining a smile and not retaliating with
anger, the racial slurs quickly turned to joyous laughter and I was welcomed in.
To instruct the ignorant and admonish the sinner, however, would likely be shunned upon by
many in today’s society, far from being seen as a merciful action. A teacher friend of mine recently
lamented after a day of religious education teaching that, “The only moral sin of our current age is
to tell someone they’re wrong. The students couldn’t even conclude that rape was morally wrong!”
When coupled with love, instructing the ignorant and admonishing the sinner become life-changing
acts of mercy. They also require courage and humility. Whilst we should not judge, lest we be
judged ourselves, we should not fall too far in the opposite direction to never judge with love.
God’s Mercy
To conclude the presentation I’d like to touch on one of the genuinely hard lessons learnt on the
journey. In far western Russia, whilst praying a rosary and focussing on the Jesus’ docility before
His aggressors, I was set upon by two men who proceeded to beat me up. I fought back hard and
managed to flee, minus my broken walking poles and a backpack strap. I apologised to God as I
ran off, that, “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be docile before my aggressors and just let them take what
they wanted.” For the first time I recognised that Jesus didn’t just have the right to defend himself,
but also the might. Jesus walked on under the cross forgoing His right to defend himself and His
ability to defend himself, for us. We don’t deserve God’s love, but out of mercy, God lays His love
down in front of us to freely pick up if we so choose.
[email protected]
www.walk4one.com
+61 450 625 472
A world of experience…
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Please go to www.walk4one.com
[email protected]
www.walk4one.com
+61 450 625 472