by Patricia Mathson
[CLICK HERE] for a fun activity page about St. Joseph Moscati.
Joseph lived in Italy with his family. When he was a teenager, his older brother was badly injured in a fall from a horse. As Joseph sat with his brother, he decided that when he grew up, he would become a doctor and help people who were injured or sick.
Caring Doctor
Joseph graduated from medical school in 1903. He was a caring doctor who helped everyone who came to him. He did not even charge a fee if a person couldn’t pay. He was also known to give patients money for medicine they needed but could not afford.
Life of Faith
Joseph Moscati started each day by going to Mass. He was a person of faith in God. He lived the work of mercy that Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25:36: “I was sick and you cared for me.” He saw the face of Jesus in other people.
Compassion for Others
Joseph Moscati brought hope to the lives of others. He is remembered as a doctor to the poor. The example of his life shows us the importance of compassion. We, too, are called to make a difference in the lives of others.
What Can We Do?
* Let’s look up Matthew 14:14. What does Jesus see? How does he feel? What does he do? Throughout the Gospels, we see that Jesus was a person of compassion. How can we have compassion and help the sick?
* Let’s pray for people who are in the hospital or who are sick, injured, having surgery, undergoing medical treatment, or struggling with any kind of physical or mental illness.
* Let’s talk about helping people who cannot afford medical care. Many organizations help those in need. Let’s make posters about the work that these organizations do and collect money to help the people they serve.
Prayer
Loving Father, open our hearts to the needs of the sick. Help us to be people of compassion like St. Joseph Moscati. Through our caring actions, may people see your presence and love in their lives. Amen.
Patricia Mathson has many years’ experience in faith formation as a DRE and holds a MRE degree from the University of Dallas. She is the children’s ministry coordinator at Hope Family Center in Des Moines, IA. She is the author of many books includingPlant the Seed: Sharing the Gospel with Children (Liguori Publications).
Copyright 2011, Bayard, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Bayard, Inc.
This article was written by the Catechist Staff and appeared in Catechist magazine, October 2011.
Image Credit: Shutter Stock 544541167
