A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend, someone of a certain age, that is, someone like me, who went to Catholic school a long time ago when we memorized lots of lists of things. We were talking about references to Christian “theology” we hear when politics are discussed. Our conversation led us to ask “Whatever happened to the Works of Mercy? Why don’t we ever hear about them anymore?” (In fact, we were also wondering whatever happened to Mercy, period.)
In case your memory doesn’t go that far back, here is the list of the Corporal Works of Mercy.
1. To feed the hungry.
2. To give water to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked.
4. To shelter the homeless.
5. To visit the sick.
6. To visit the imprisoned or ransom the captive.1. To feed the hungry.
7. To bury the dead.
The Corporal Works of Mercy go back to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25: 35-36. These are the criteria used to separate the sheep from the goats. Jesus identifies himself with the hungry, thirsty, the stranger, the unclothed, the sick and the prisoner. He is abundantly clear that these things are really important.
Along with the Corporal Works on Mercy, there are the Spiritual Works of Mercy. These were codified much later, around the Council of Trent in 1566.
The works include:
1. To instruct the ignorant.
2. To counsel the doubtful.
3. To admonish the sinners.
4. To bear patiently those who wrong us.
5. To forgive offenses.
6. To comfort the afflicted.
7. To pray for the living and the dead.
Pope Francis characterizes the Works of Mercy as “daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness.” In an address last August, Pope Francis said, “The Lord won’t ask us, ‘What did you study?’ ‘How many degrees do you have?’ ‘How many works did you accomplish?’ No, no. The Lord will say, ‘Come with me because I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was persecuted and you protected me. That is the theme of the final exam on which we will be judged.”
We all need mercy. We are all called to be merciful. We are imperfect creatures in an imperfect world. Our best intentions fall short. Even our best efforts to create institutions and structures of fairness fail to take everyone and everything into account. Mercy is the glue that holds us together and the grout that fills in the cracks. Mercy is not earned. Mercy goes beyond fairness. Mercy is to be given without expecting anything in return. Mercy is the extra thing we do because of love.
If we claim to be followers of Jesus and to take our scriptures seriously, we see that we really are called to be people who give and forgive. Jesus gave us one command. “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:33-34) If we love like Jesus, we will be generous, kind, thoughtful and merciful. We will be patient and forgiving. And our community will be a better place.
But it doesn’t end there. If we look carefully at the Last Judgment of Matthew’s Gospel mentioned earlier, we will notice that the King is not judging individuals, but nations. I’m afraid the nations of our world are not doing very well right now.
So we are called to be people of mercy in our personal lives and also to work toward creating a world of international peace, a world where hunger is not a weapon, a world where immigrants and asylum seekers do not die of thirst in the desert, and where everyone can access what they need to thrive.
This is the world God wants.
Jeanette Arnquist is a former Director of the Department of Life, Dignity & Justice for the Diocese of San Bernardino. She is retired and living in Tucson, Arizona where she remains active in social concerns ministries.