Works of Charity
Works of Mercy are a major
apostolate carried out by the IVE
The Institute of the Incarnate Word, whose members seek to become an extension of the Incarnation of the Word, “to embody all that is authentically human” (Constitutions, 36), humbly wishes through works of mercy:
a. To walk revealing the merciful love of God for mankind, and the Incarnation through all kind of work sof charity to relieve many of the miseries of modern man. In fact, by the witness of charity many will come to know God: “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16).
b. To Love God showing a concrete love for our brothers and sisters, as it is the only possible mean to love God, as Jesus Christ said: “He who says that he loves God and does not love his brothers, is a liar ” (1 Jn 4:20). Therefore, we want to follow in the footsteps of the Incarnate Word, who came to redeem us from sin. He pitied even the wounds that this caused in us, and healed men of their physical and spiritual misery, which was a convincing proof of his mercy and his love for the Father.
In conclusion, our approaach to the so called “corporal” works of mercy should be as in this exhortation of Saint Teresa of Calcutta: “We are not here for work, we are here first of all for Jesus since we are religious, not assistants … [or] social workers, teachers, nurses, doctors. We serve Jesus in the poor and everything we do is for Him. Our life has no other meaning. This is something that many do not understand. We serve Jesus twenty four hours a day and He gives us the strenght. We love the poor and the poor with him, but the Lord always comes first”.
Some of the works of mercy that our Religious Family runs are:
- Orphanages
- Family homes
- Homes for the disabled
- Apostolate in prisons
