Note from Michele & Emily: We’ve asked our readers to share with us their stories of mercy and living out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Today we are delighted to share a post from our friend Carrie about her involvement with Back in His Arms Again, a ministry that serves families of infant loss.
As Catholics, we are called to do Corporal Works of Mercy and one of these actions is very explicit- to Bury the Dead. As a mother, I feel we must follow the example of the Blessed Mother, as in the scene from the “Passion of The Christ”-when she falls to the ground and wipes up the blood of Her Son after his horrific scourging. She knows that every drop of Jesus’ Holy and Innocent blood is Sacred and Redemptive and must not be trampled upon. Then following His death, His faithful followers gathered at the base of the cross, took down His precious body and prepared it for burial, by wrapping it in a shroud before laying Him in the tomb.
The human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and it is important to treat the body with dignity and respect. These are the teachings and values of the Church that I try to instill in my children every day. Several years ago, I began to serve on the Board of Directors for Back in His Arms Again, a ministry that serves families of infant loss from conception until death. Serving with this ministry has been a blessing in my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I have chosen to involve my family, especially my children, in this ministry as well. While volunteering for the ministry, my teenage daughters have had many opportunities to speak with mothers who have lost children due to miscarriage or infant death. The result has been that they have gained a true appreciation for the fragility and sacredness of human life and God has graced them with a passion to protect the unborn. Working with this ministry has helped us realize that giving these babies a proper burial may be the only time in that child’s life that they will get the honor, dignity and respect they properly deserve as a child of God. We also believe that we are assisting our Blessed Mother, as she returns these Holy Innocents back into the hands of the Father to reside for eternity.
Copyright 2015 Carrie Magalski
