Deeds of Mercy
A Look at the Works of Mercy
The following information is from the 1994 Marians of the Immaculate Conception pamphlet "Deeds of Mercy":
"The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy--how many of us can even name them let alone say that we sincerely attempt to practice them? Back in catechism lessons we learned that doing these works of mercy was our Christian duty. It was also a means of satisfying the temporal punishment due to sin. It was being like Christ. Those reasons are still valid and a fresh look at these works of mercy should inspire us to take up their cause if we have been forgetting the need for doing mercy in our day.
The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are good for the body and the soul, of both performer and recipient alike. These gems of Catholic action provide a visible means of acting on one's faith commitment. An excuse like, "We have a social ministry committee at church to do those things" or "I don't have the time" just isn't valid because each of us has a personal obligation to be like Christ and to bear witness to our Catholic faith through acts of justice and charity. We can't leave it up to a committee.
Think about it. Pray over it. Then add to your self improvement: schedule the practice, in some way, of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Christ's own words should provide motivation: 'Whatsoever you do to the least of My brother, that you do unto Me. (Mt 25:40) 'Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called to practice mercy towards others. 'Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy' (Mt 5:7). The Church sees in these words a call to action, and she tries to practice mercy. All the Beaatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount indicate the way of conversion and of reform of life, but the one referring to those who are merciful is particularly eloquent in this regard. Man attains to the merciful love of God, His mercy, to the extent that he himself is interiorly transformed in the spirit of that love towards his neighbor. (#14 Rich in Mercy, John Paul II)
Our Lord's words: "... I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first--by deed, the second--by words, the third--by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy" (Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska #742). "... Write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permission nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy" (#1317).
What are practical ways to incorporate the Corporal Works of Mercy in one's day?
1. Feed the Hungry, Give drink to the thirsty.
These two Works of Mercy start out in the home, from the hot meals on the
table or the cup of water for a child, and extend to the community. The
unemployed, the elderly, and the sick benefit from care programs, but
these programs are ineffective without food donations, cash contributions
and volunteered time. The doer of mercy can also support national and
religious relief organizations and self-help projects such as the vendor on
the street, a refugee vegetable stand at the market or the repair shop run
by a minority group.
2. Clothe the naked.
Our Savior tells us that if a person has two coats he should give one away.
Perhaps the need isn't apparent in the immediate neighborhood but it does
exist. Excess clothing can be donated to: Clothing Shelf, Birthright,
Maternity Closet, the Bishop's Thanksgiving Clothing Drive, St. Vincent de
Paul, or local refugee aid groups. Without the excess, storage problems
disappear.
3. Shelter the homeless.
The unemployed living in cars or abandoned tunnels and caves are in
desperate straits and those who help them need both material and spiritual
support. Aging relatives may be just as homeless when they must leave
their homes for apartments or are made to feel unwelcome--even as
visitors--in the homes of their kin. The refugees transplanted to a strange
country, the building tenants forced out of their apartments by fire or
eviction, the battered wife or unwed mother on her own are all homeless in
need of shelter, companionship, help in resettlement.
4. Comfort the imprisoned.
Helping captives or the imprisoned is not limited to prison. Some people
are imprisoned within the walls of their own homes--the handicapped, the
sick, the elderly, the new mother. For them, ransom may be a visit, a
shopping trip, a helping hand once a week, or merely a short chat on the
telephone.
5. Visit the sick.
Hospital visits or the semi-weekly trudges to the nursing home are often
viewed with chagrin. But put yourself in their shoes. A short visit to a
hospital room, a neighbor's bedside, or the local nursing home is time-
consuming, but for the person being visited, that time which is given is
very precious.
6. Bury the dead.
Plague-ridden bodies no longer litter the streets. Modern funeral practices
have taken the details of caring for the dead off our hands. But the
personal expression of sympathy, the hug or handshake at
the vigil or funeral service, the donation of food, are important to the
grieving. The ceremonies remember the dead, but we are expected to
support the living in their sorrow.
How can we incorporate the Spiritual Works of Mercy into our everyday life?
1. Admonish sinners.
Correction is sometimes as hard to give as it is to take. It means standing
up for moral principles at work, at school, in politics, or in the home. It
means taking time to give needed correction, even discipline, especially to
children whose minds are impressionable and whose wills are not yet
steadfast in truth.
2. Instruct the uninformed.
Not everyone can be a schoolteacher, but taking time out to help a child
with math or spelling or religion homework is instruction as well. So is
showing the ropes to a new person at work, teaching CCD, and
reminding oneself and one's family about basic morality. In a Godless
environment, a word about one's own religious values often leaves a
thought provoking impression on others.
3. Counsel the doubtful.
Advice is cheap, so the saying goes, but counsel implies something more
loving. It's a Christian approach to solving problems. Doubts about one's
faith, about abortion, marriage, or questions arising from death or divorce,
do not need a brush-off with a lame excuse. Doubts need direction in the
Christian point of view.
4. Bear wrongs patiently.
Patience--the bane of a world which hurries only to have to stand in line.
Strive for patience with the small child's constant prattling or the chronic
complaints of the elderly. Try patience with the slowness of the freeway
traffic or the drudgery of a job. Maintain patience with those who never
say a kind word, with those whose nagging puts your teeth on edge. Have
patience with your own personal pain and suffering; don't add to the
griping around you.
5. Forgive offenses.
Forgive the sharp criticism, the angry retort so easily and thoughtlessly
said. Physical injuries heal faster than mental or spiritual ones; dwelling on
a wrong only increases its size, breeding hatred, the antithesis of Christ's
love. Injuries, voluntary or involuntary, are inescapable; forgiveness heals
them.
6. Pray for the living and the dead.
It is impossible to physically aid the many people--even those in our own
families--who need our help. But we can reach out to them in prayer. All
people, dead or alive, benefit from a remembrance in prayer, including
those praying.
To a lawyer who asked Him, 'and who is my neighbor?' Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan, ending the parable with the exhortation, 'Go and do likewise.' The usual interpretation is that we ought to be good Samaritans when we see our neighbor in need. And this is right; we must be merciful to those in misery. There is, however, another way to interpret the message of the parable, and that is to identify ourselves with the poor man who has been robbed, stripped and beaten up. We are the poor miserable one left on the side of the road, half dead. Jesus is the Good Samaritan who comes along as our Savior to bind up our wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and bearing us to the place of rest where He takes care of us and pays the price for all our needs.
This is Mercy! Jesus has reached out to us while we were still sinners and laid down His life for us (Rom. 5:6-8). Jesus has washed us clean through the water of Baptism, anointing us with His Holy Spirit, feeding us with His own Body and Blood, bringing us home into His Body, the Church. All of this is love through no merit of our own. That is Divine Mercy--and He wants no one to escape from that mercy!
To obtain copies of this pamphlet "Deeds of Mercy" from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, please call (800) 804-3823.
"The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy--how many of us can even name them let alone say that we sincerely attempt to practice them? Back in catechism lessons we learned that doing these works of mercy was our Christian duty. It was also a means of satisfying the temporal punishment due to sin. It was being like Christ. Those reasons are still valid and a fresh look at these works of mercy should inspire us to take up their cause if we have been forgetting the need for doing mercy in our day.
The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are good for the body and the soul, of both performer and recipient alike. These gems of Catholic action provide a visible means of acting on one's faith commitment. An excuse like, "We have a social ministry committee at church to do those things" or "I don't have the time" just isn't valid because each of us has a personal obligation to be like Christ and to bear witness to our Catholic faith through acts of justice and charity. We can't leave it up to a committee.
Think about it. Pray over it. Then add to your self improvement: schedule the practice, in some way, of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Christ's own words should provide motivation: 'Whatsoever you do to the least of My brother, that you do unto Me. (Mt 25:40) 'Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called to practice mercy towards others. 'Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy' (Mt 5:7). The Church sees in these words a call to action, and she tries to practice mercy. All the Beaatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount indicate the way of conversion and of reform of life, but the one referring to those who are merciful is particularly eloquent in this regard. Man attains to the merciful love of God, His mercy, to the extent that he himself is interiorly transformed in the spirit of that love towards his neighbor. (#14 Rich in Mercy, John Paul II)
Our Lord's words: "... I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first--by deed, the second--by words, the third--by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy" (Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska #742). "... Write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permission nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy" (#1317).
What are practical ways to incorporate the Corporal Works of Mercy in one's day?
1. Feed the Hungry, Give drink to the thirsty.
These two Works of Mercy start out in the home, from the hot meals on the
table or the cup of water for a child, and extend to the community. The
unemployed, the elderly, and the sick benefit from care programs, but
these programs are ineffective without food donations, cash contributions
and volunteered time. The doer of mercy can also support national and
religious relief organizations and self-help projects such as the vendor on
the street, a refugee vegetable stand at the market or the repair shop run
by a minority group.
2. Clothe the naked.
Our Savior tells us that if a person has two coats he should give one away.
Perhaps the need isn't apparent in the immediate neighborhood but it does
exist. Excess clothing can be donated to: Clothing Shelf, Birthright,
Maternity Closet, the Bishop's Thanksgiving Clothing Drive, St. Vincent de
Paul, or local refugee aid groups. Without the excess, storage problems
disappear.
3. Shelter the homeless.
The unemployed living in cars or abandoned tunnels and caves are in
desperate straits and those who help them need both material and spiritual
support. Aging relatives may be just as homeless when they must leave
their homes for apartments or are made to feel unwelcome--even as
visitors--in the homes of their kin. The refugees transplanted to a strange
country, the building tenants forced out of their apartments by fire or
eviction, the battered wife or unwed mother on her own are all homeless in
need of shelter, companionship, help in resettlement.
4. Comfort the imprisoned.
Helping captives or the imprisoned is not limited to prison. Some people
are imprisoned within the walls of their own homes--the handicapped, the
sick, the elderly, the new mother. For them, ransom may be a visit, a
shopping trip, a helping hand once a week, or merely a short chat on the
telephone.
5. Visit the sick.
Hospital visits or the semi-weekly trudges to the nursing home are often
viewed with chagrin. But put yourself in their shoes. A short visit to a
hospital room, a neighbor's bedside, or the local nursing home is time-
consuming, but for the person being visited, that time which is given is
very precious.
6. Bury the dead.
Plague-ridden bodies no longer litter the streets. Modern funeral practices
have taken the details of caring for the dead off our hands. But the
personal expression of sympathy, the hug or handshake at
the vigil or funeral service, the donation of food, are important to the
grieving. The ceremonies remember the dead, but we are expected to
support the living in their sorrow.
How can we incorporate the Spiritual Works of Mercy into our everyday life?
1. Admonish sinners.
Correction is sometimes as hard to give as it is to take. It means standing
up for moral principles at work, at school, in politics, or in the home. It
means taking time to give needed correction, even discipline, especially to
children whose minds are impressionable and whose wills are not yet
steadfast in truth.
2. Instruct the uninformed.
Not everyone can be a schoolteacher, but taking time out to help a child
with math or spelling or religion homework is instruction as well. So is
showing the ropes to a new person at work, teaching CCD, and
reminding oneself and one's family about basic morality. In a Godless
environment, a word about one's own religious values often leaves a
thought provoking impression on others.
3. Counsel the doubtful.
Advice is cheap, so the saying goes, but counsel implies something more
loving. It's a Christian approach to solving problems. Doubts about one's
faith, about abortion, marriage, or questions arising from death or divorce,
do not need a brush-off with a lame excuse. Doubts need direction in the
Christian point of view.
4. Bear wrongs patiently.
Patience--the bane of a world which hurries only to have to stand in line.
Strive for patience with the small child's constant prattling or the chronic
complaints of the elderly. Try patience with the slowness of the freeway
traffic or the drudgery of a job. Maintain patience with those who never
say a kind word, with those whose nagging puts your teeth on edge. Have
patience with your own personal pain and suffering; don't add to the
griping around you.
5. Forgive offenses.
Forgive the sharp criticism, the angry retort so easily and thoughtlessly
said. Physical injuries heal faster than mental or spiritual ones; dwelling on
a wrong only increases its size, breeding hatred, the antithesis of Christ's
love. Injuries, voluntary or involuntary, are inescapable; forgiveness heals
them.
6. Pray for the living and the dead.
It is impossible to physically aid the many people--even those in our own
families--who need our help. But we can reach out to them in prayer. All
people, dead or alive, benefit from a remembrance in prayer, including
those praying.
To a lawyer who asked Him, 'and who is my neighbor?' Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan, ending the parable with the exhortation, 'Go and do likewise.' The usual interpretation is that we ought to be good Samaritans when we see our neighbor in need. And this is right; we must be merciful to those in misery. There is, however, another way to interpret the message of the parable, and that is to identify ourselves with the poor man who has been robbed, stripped and beaten up. We are the poor miserable one left on the side of the road, half dead. Jesus is the Good Samaritan who comes along as our Savior to bind up our wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and bearing us to the place of rest where He takes care of us and pays the price for all our needs.
This is Mercy! Jesus has reached out to us while we were still sinners and laid down His life for us (Rom. 5:6-8). Jesus has washed us clean through the water of Baptism, anointing us with His Holy Spirit, feeding us with His own Body and Blood, bringing us home into His Body, the Church. All of this is love through no merit of our own. That is Divine Mercy--and He wants no one to escape from that mercy!
To obtain copies of this pamphlet "Deeds of Mercy" from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, please call (800) 804-3823.
