Nga mihi atawhai – greetings to all in Mercy! The Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, especially through his Lenten message, has shone the spotlight once more on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. “Let’s rediscover them,” he insists, naming them in case we’d forgotten: the corporal works – to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, to visit the sick and imprisoned and bury the dead. Less well remembered, perhaps, are the spiritual works – to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead. These are the standards, says Pope Francis, on which, in the end, we will all be judged.

Capturing some of the spirit of what Pope Francis highlights here has been a recent decision by staff at Waiatarua Mercy Parklands to raise funds for the victims of Cyclone Winston which hit Fiji on February 20.