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Fourth corporal work of mercy: Shelter the homeless

Jesus teaches us to give hospitality and welcome to the strangers among us

Published: April 12, 2016   

By Daniel S. Mulhall
Catholic News Service

CNS / CJ Gunther, EPA
A homeless man sits on a sidewalk in Philadelphia Sept. 26. Pope Francis said in October that hunger is a “true scandal” that threatens the life and dignity of millions of people.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 2447) states that one of the corporal works of mercy is “sheltering the homeless.” The Gospel of Matthew, from where the works of mercy are taken, says that those who are “blessed by my Father” are those who welcome the stranger.

While the wording here is somewhat different, the meaning is clear: Believers are called to provide shelter for those in need, especially those who are refugees.

Judaism identifies strongly with caring for those fleeing from their homeland. Abraham, the great patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, was himself a refugee, having fled to Egypt to escape famine, guided there by God “to go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).

Later, in Genesis 23 Abraham is an invited guest in Canaan, and Jacob and his family are refugees in Genesis 46. Deuteronomy 26:5 says that when the Hebrews reach the Promised Land they are to identify themselves this way:

“Then you shall declare in the presence of the Lord, your God, ‘My father was a refugee Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as a resident alien.’”

Numerous passages lay out how visitors are to be treated, including Leviticus 25:35 (“When one of your kindred is reduced to poverty and becomes indebted to you, you shall support that person like a resident alien; let your kindred live with you”) and Exodus 22:20 (“You shall not oppress or afflict a resident alien, for you were once aliens residing in the land of Egypt”).

Isaiah 58:7 declares that the fast God requires is “bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house.”

Leviticus 19:33-34 puts it quite strongly: “When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the Lord, am your God.”

Clearly, Jesus’ teaching about welcoming the stranger comes from this understanding.

This teaching of Jesus also emphasizes the importance of providing hospitality to the stranger, as expressed in Hebrews 13:1-2, which connects the importance of hospitality to an experience of the divine: “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels,” a reference to Genesis 18.

If we are to shelter the homeless and welcome the stranger then we must act: Good intentions are not enough.

As James 2:14 puts it, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” As 1 John 3:18 says, “let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”

Shelter the homeless and welcome the stranger. That is what Jesus would do.

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