“The Works of the Heart” – The Fourth Corporal Work of Mercy

A brief meditation by Msgr. Paolo Giulietti, Archbishop of Lucca, on the fourth corporal Work of mercy, to live it concretely in daily life.

«The works of the heart» is a booklet written by Msgr. Paolo Giulietti on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy called in 2015, when he was still auxiliary bishop of Perugia and Città della Pieve.

Ten years have passed, but the reflections of the current Archbishop of Lucca regarding the Works of mercy remain timely.

The goal is to revisit these brief meditations on the fourteen Works and apply them to daily life: what spazio + spadoni defines as the «Re-Evolution of the works of mercy».

Sheltering pilgrims

Pilgrims still exist! Today, however, they do not merely seek shelter, but a place where they can experience simplicity and fraternity: an authentically human and Christian hospitality in which the pilgrim can feel acknowledged as a person and perceive, through the service received and the warmth shared, the horizon of a humanity reconciled in God’s love.

This Work also addresses the significant migratory reality marking our era: millions of people move for economic and cultural reasons, or to flee conflict and politico-religious persecution.

They cross land and sea by any means possible, seeking a better life at all costs.

While this phenomenon is complex in its origins and management, mercy calls us to view migrants not with mistrust, but with genuine human empathy, recognizing that our world is not detached from the forces compelling individuals and families to leave their homes against their will.

Cultivating and practicing an attitude of hospitality toward migrants is the contemporary expression of sheltering the traveler.

Image created digitally by spazio + spadoni

Source: Giulietti, P., The works of the heart