As the church celebrates the opening of the Year of Mercy and
one of the greatest acts of mercy in salvation history - the
birth of Christ - the faithful are called to consider more
attentively the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
"We have to put mercy before judgment, and in every case
God's judgment will always be in the light of His mercy,"
said Pope Francis as he opened the jubilee year Dec. 8.
But what are the works of mercy, and how do we put them into
practice?
The seven works largely were drawn from the Gospels, and by
the medieval period they were codified as a way to "alleviate
the distress of a person, body and soul," according to Chad
Pecknold, associate professor of systematic theology at
Catholic University in Washington and a parishioner of St.
Mary Church in Alexandria.
In Matthew 25, Jesus describes how in caring for people's
bodily needs, we show love for God: "for I was hungry and you
gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a
stranger and you took me in."
The number seven is tied to Christ's words in the Gospel and
is "the number of perfection and describes the completion of
creation," Pecknold said. Seven is the number of sacraments,
gifts of the Holy Spirit, and joys and sorrows of Our Lady.
Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father Lewis S. Fiorelli,
parochial vicar of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Vienna
and a spiritual director for nearly a half-century, said that
because "the human person is an embodied spirit," mercy
requires both a physical and spiritual expression. That is
why the sacraments often make use of material elements, like
bread and wine, water and oil, to convey realities such as
spiritual food and healing.
The corporal works of mercy - feed the hungry, give drink to
the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit
the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead - are
"pretty straightforward," said Father Fiorelli. "It is clear
just by naming them as to what is called for from believers
who want to translate their faith in God into concrete and
loving actions."
Father Fiorelli said that addressing bodily needs, such as
offering food and shelter, is often the principal way to
reach people's hearts and arouse their faith in God.
What motivates us as we perform the corporal works of mercy
is important, said Pecknold. The corporal works are not "a
Christian way of doing humanitarian aid," he said. "They are
the fruit of being infused with divine love
and
should be seen as a response to God's grace."
Unlike the corporal works, the spiritual works - counsel the
doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish the sinner, comfort
the sorrowful, forgive offenses willingly, bear wrongs
patiently, and pray for the living and the dead - are "not so
readily understood," said Father Fiorelli. The first three
can be especially confusing to put into practice.
"'Counseling the doubtful' often implies the buffeting of
one's faith in a good, loving and all-powerful God when
personal tragedies occur," said Father Fiorelli.
"How often did we hear the question, 'Where was God?' when
the (twin) towers fell? How often do we hear a spouse ask,
'Where was God?' when their beloved dies or the same question
from parents when their children suffer? Doubt here suggests
a bruised and hurting faith, not its total lack," he said.
"When the tragedy or the hurt or the pain is raw, counseling
the doubtful is not done so much in words as in loving
presence.
"As St. Francis de Sales so wisely said, 'Heart speaks to
heart; words speak only to ears.'"
When we are asked to "instruct the ignorant," said Father
Fiorelli, "ignorance implies being uninformed or perhaps
inadequately informed of the truths of our faith and in its
moral imperatives. Thus, (the ignorant) need teachers who
know how to win hearts by gently but persuasively presenting
the truth of the Gospel and the teachings of the church.
"Jesus, 'gentle and humble of heart,' knew that to reach the
head, one must first win the heart."
Father Fiorelli said the directive to "admonish the sinner"
especially is challenging because "all of us are acutely
aware of our own sins."
Though sinless, Jesus can be our model, he said. "While Jesus
readily forgave the sinner, He never dismissed the sin. Jesus
knew just how to speak to the sinner so that, while He
clearly denounced the sin, He never rejected the sinner."
Father Fiorelli pointed out that this spiritual work should
not be left solely to bishops, priests and deacons. Parents
have an important role to play, as do all Christians, who
"ought to admonish and encourage one another."
"On a larger level," said Father Fiorelli, "believers need to
admonish the sinfulness that is rampant in our world today,
from indifference or hostility to human life, to the
cheapening of human love and the denigration of the human
body, as well as to the misuse and abuse of our fragile
planet and its limited resources."
All of the acts of mercy, added Pecknold, are not mere
suggestions. They are a response to "the mercy that is poured
out for us from God," he said. "We, in turn, must pour out
our mercy and love for others."
Scott can be reached at kscott@catholicherald.com or on
Twitter @KScottACH.
Find out more
For the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' information on
the works of mercy and ways to incorporate them into your
life, click here.
For the Year of Mercy website of the Pontifical Council for
the Promotion of the New Evangelization, go here.
A Franciscan Media website dedicated to the Year of Mercy
includes background about the jubilee year, FAQs and social
media memes; go here.
Corporal works of mercy
feed the hungry
give drink to the thirsty
clothe the naked
shelter the homeless
visit the sick
visit the imprisoned
bury the dead
Spiritual works of mercy
counsel the doubtful
instruct the ignorant
admonish the sinner
comfort the sorrowful
forgive offenses willingly
bear wrongs patiently
pray for the living and the dead