Basing itself on the words of Jesus (Mt 25:31-46), the Church has spoken of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy that we, in imitation of God’s love for us, are called to extend toward others.
Jesus in the Gospel speaks very powerfully about how, after receiving God’s mercy, we must pay it forward, seeking to be as merciful with others as he has been with us.
There are traditionally seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy:
The corporal works of mercy are:
1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Shelter the homeless
4. Visit the sick
5. Visit prisoners
6. Give alms to the poor
7. Bury the dead
The spiritual works of mercy are:
1. Counsel those in doubt
2. Teach those who are ignorant
3. Tenderly correct those in sin
4. Comfort those in sorrow
5. Forgive those who have hurt you
6. Bear wrongs patiently
7. Pray for the living and the dead
The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks very powerfully about that mercy (2443-9). It emphasizes that God blesses those who come to the aid of the poor and that love for the poor is “part of her constant tradition.”
“The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.”
Human suffering, it says, is an obvious sign of the inherited condition of human frailty and need for salvation in which we find ourselves as a consequence of original sin. This misery elicited the compassion of Christ the Savior, who willingly took it upon himself and identified himself with the least of us. Hence, those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church which, since her origin and in spite of the failings of many of her members, has not ceased to work for their relief, defense, and liberation through numerous works of charity which remain indispensable always and everywhere.
Pope Francis gave a series of catechetical addresses in 2016 during the Jubilee of Mercy on each of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which we would recommend to you (you can find them under “Audiences” at vatican.va). He said in the introduction beginning the series:
Jesus “taught his disciples: ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful’ (Lk 6:36). It is a responsibility that challenges the conscience and actions of every Christian. In fact, it is not enough to experience God’s mercy in one’s life; whoever receives it must also become a sign and instrument for others. Mercy, therefore, is not only reserved for particular moments, but it embraces our entire daily existence.
“How can we, therefore, be witnesses of mercy? We do not think that it is done with great efforts or superhuman actions. No, it is not so. The Lord shows us a very simple path, made by small actions which, nonetheless, have great value in his eyes, to the extent to which he has told us that it is by these actions we will be judged. In fact, one of the most beautiful pages from Matthew’s Gospel brings us the lesson which we can, in every way, hold to be true as the ‘testament of Jesus.’ … Jesus says that every time we give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, cloth the naked and welcome the foreigner, visit the sick or imprisoned, we do the same to him (cf. Mt 25:31-46). The Church calls these actions “corporal works of mercy,” because they assist people with their material necessities.
“There are also, however, seven other works of mercy called ‘spiritual,’ which pertain to other equally important needs, especially today, because they touch the person’s soul, and often create the greatest suffering: “Bear wrongs patiently, … counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, console the afflicted, pardon offences, pray to God for the living and the dead. These are daily things!…
“These works … the Church presents to us as the concrete way of living out mercy. Over the course of centuries, many simple people have put this into practice, giving their sincere witness of faith. … I am convinced that, through these simple, daily actions, we can achieve a true cultural revolution, like there was in the past. If every one of us, every day, does one of these, this will be a revolution in the world! … Let us again learn the corporal and spiritual works of mercy by heart, and ask the Lord to help us put them into practice every day, and in those moments where we see Jesus in a person who is in need.”
In a Decree from the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary on March 20, 2020, special plenary indulgences were given to those who engage in corporal and spiritual works of mercy during the coronavirus pandemic.
A special plenary indulgence was extended to “health care workers, family members and all those who, following the example of the Good Samaritan, exposing themselves to the risk of contagion, care for the sick of Coronavirus.”
A similar Plenary Indulgence was given to “those faithful who offer a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, or Eucharistic adoration, or reading the Holy Scriptures for at least half an hour, or the recitation of the Holy Rosary, or the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, or the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself.”
The Plenary Indulgence was also given to the “faithful suffering from Coronavirus, who are subject to quarantine … if… they unite spiritually through the media to the celebration of Holy Mass, the recitation of the Holy Rosary, the pious practice of the Way of the Cross or other forms of devotion, or if at least they recite the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and a pious invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, offering this trial in a spirit of faith in God and charity towards their brothers and sisters.”
It was given under the usual conditions of a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession generally, receiving the Holy Eucharist, prayer for the intentions of the Pope, and a spirit of detachment from sin as soon as possible.
