The Corporal Works of Mercy

Jesus told us, “Whatsoever things you do to the least of these, my brothers, you do it unto me.”  This post is about the corporal works of mercy, which are listed in the catechism as:  to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to harbor the harborless, to visit the sick, to ransom the captive, and to bury the dead.  (Matthew 25:41)

We can serve Christ in one another in these ways, thus giving out of the abundance of our love for God to any who have such needs, and thereby building up the Kingdom.  We don’t do these thing to rack up spiritual “points” in our favor.  We do them because we love one another as Christ loved us.  We do them because we get so full to bursting with the love of God that we just have to do something to share the love. 

Not everyone is physically capable of carrying out these corporal works of mercy.  There are those who are called to do them as a way of life, however, and we can support them by donations of money or in kind, to further their ministry.  And there is always the chance someone will ask us personally for help.  We do what we can with the gifts we have.

When I was young, and my brother was about seven, I was doing my homework when someone rang the doorbell.  I wasn’t paying much attention, but when I saw Steve take a couple of hot dogs to the door and come back without them I asked, “Who was that?”  He replied, “I don’t know.  Some hungry guy.  Might have been an angel.”  He just shrugged and went back to his television show.  It stuck in my mind because I remember thinking, “Wow, Mom sure taught him right.”  To a child it is a matter of a simple need being met.  If I have more than my share of the world’s goods, it is important to me as a Christian to share with those who have less.  Oddly, it is the poor who are most generous. 

If I am poor, I can share what little I have.  I can also practice the other works of mercy.  Visiting the sick or housebound is a precious gift of time we can give.  We can visit prisoners with a local chaplaincy program.  We can volunteer in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.  We can find hundreds of ways to serve just by looking at our local church or on line. 

Doing these things makes us better people.  Doing them without blowing our own horn about it is the most valuable way of all.  My Mom used to say that if you got caught doing a good deed, it didn’t count.  I think my Mom was much more spiritual than I ever gave her credit for being.

Most of us are not called to do all of these works all of the time.  But if we pay attention, we will find the opportunities that have been sent to us….like an angel at the door who needs a couple of hot dogs.