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Luke 16:19-31

19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

'The Rich Man And Lazarus is a parable that tells the story of the great value of giving to the poor. Parables are stories told by Jesus' to educate those around him. This parable tells us that the divine kingdom is open to all those who are generous in their wealth when living, and if you can not see it while living how would you ever be able to live in the footsteps of Jesus?

Catherine McAuley, just like Jesus, gave what she could to the poor and the needy. She followed in the footsteps of Jesus and she broke through many barriers put before her when doing so. She pushed through with her vision, and her legacy lives on today. An idea, no matter how small, can be great.

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What was Happening in Ireland when Catherine was Alive

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What was Happening in Ireland when Catherine was Alive

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Two main things were happening when Catherine was alive; The Penal Laws and The 1798 Irish Rebellion.

The Penal Laws: Catholics could not hold any position in Parliament/politics and Catholic owned land could not be passed down intact to a single heir.

The 1798 Irish Rebellion: Led by Theobald Wolfe Tone, Thomas Russell, Henry Joy McCracken and William Drennan. The aim of the rebellion was to reform the Irish parliament by uniting Protestant, Catholic and Dissenters into one single movement. They were discovered and it led to the suppression of the society in May 1794.

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Catherine would have welcomed the encyclical "Rerum Novarum", written by Pope Leo Xiii, in May, 1891, which was about the rights and duties of Capital and Labour. It had 7 principles one of which was Justice for Workers. In this time of repression and rebellions, it would be a welcome change to incorporate into the time.

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Much of what Catherine wrote were letters to colleagues and friends; but in all of her writings she spread Gods' message and his values. One of these letters included the words [God] knows I would rather be cold and hungry than the poor in Kingston or elsewhere should be deprived of any consolation in our power to afford. This is a clear statement of Catherine's beliefs and her mission and goal when creating the House of Mercy.

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Catherine McAuley followed in Jesus' footsteps of the Prophetic, Kingly and Priestly missions. She guided and led when creating the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland. She shared her faith and the messages of Jesus' through her teachings and in education in the House of Mercy in Dublin; helping the poor and marginalised women of Ireland. Through her letters to all over the years, Catherine shared the messages of Christ and his values. Catherine through all her life; asserted the Gospel values in words and actions and continuously strived to uphold Christian ideals in a troubled time of social upheavals and injustice.

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https://www.sistersofmercy.org/files/documents/resources/spirituality/prayers/Catherines_Prayers-criticallyill.pdf
http://www.sneydobone.com/webtree/history-ir.htm#1770
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/irish_reb_01.shtml
http://www.rsmofalma.org/history/history.html
http://www.mercyworld.org/foundress/index.cfm?loadref=51
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16%3A19-31&version=NLT

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Catherine McAuley was dedicated to her mission to help the poor and educate women about the Catholic faith in a time when Ireland had marginalised and shunned the religion due to the Penal laws put down after a war decades earlier.

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Catherine's mission was inspired by what she had seen about poverty and the Mercy of humans after her parents had died.

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The Suscipe of Resignation
My God, I am yours for time and eternity.
Teach me to cast myself entirely
into the arms of your loving Providence
with a lively, unlimited confidence in your compassionate, tender pity.
Grant, O most merciful Redeemer,
That whatever you ordain or permit may be acceptable to me.
Take from my heart all painful anxiety;
let nothing sadden me but sin,
nothing delight me but the hope of coming to the possession of You
my God and my all, in your everlasting kingdom.

Amen.

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Catherine was born on September 29th 1778 in Dublin, Ireland. Her parents died when she was young; her father James McAuley; he died in 1783 and her mother Elinor McAuley who died in 1798. When her parents died, Catherine, her sister Mary and her brother James William moved in with protestant relatives who held the anti-Christian values of 1790 Ireland.  Catherine learnt many important lessons about poverty and the mercy of humans and God during her time there.

When she was 25, Catherine was invited to move in with an elderly Quaker couple and later, when they died she became the sole inheritor of their property and much of their money. In 1824, Catherine built a large house on Baggot Street, Dublin. It was a school for poor girls and a shelter for homeless girls and women. A month before opening the school now called the house of Mercy; Mary McAuley died from overconsumption leaving behind 5 children in the care of her Husband, thus leaving Catherine with more responsibilities than ever. On September 24th 1827 the House of Mercy was opened. At this time Catherine had split up her time between the House of Mercy, her brother in laws house and her inherited estate. In September 1829, Catherine sold her estate and four months later, her brother in law died. Leaving her to be the guardian of his children.

The House of Mercy became her home, and as years passed her co-workers increased. But this brought scrutiny down upon the school; why were these women acting like a religious order, yet not abide by the normal regulations?

In 1830, Catherine realised that the works of mercy performed, including visiting the sick and poor in their homes and hospitals would have to be revised. So on September 8, Catherine, Anna Maria Doyle, and Elizabeth Harley performed a presentation to form the Sisters of Mercy. It was approved and the Sisters of Mercy continued to expand and educate girls and women about the Gospel,

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The sisters of Mercy have now become an international association that uses their resources to continue Catherine's mission on a global scale; using their resources to respond to issues of global poverty and a massive displacement of persons worldwide. Schools inspired by the House of Mercy are also running, continuing to educate children on God and the Gospel values.