to Works of Mercy
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Mercy may be defined as the ready willingness to help anyone in time of need, especially through pardon or reconciliation. It is a habitual inclination of the will. Mercy differs from compassion in putting our kind disposition into practice through readiness to assist.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
(2447) 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:
He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
Spiritual Works of Mercy
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Corporal Works of Mercy
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(2185) On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.
The charity of truth seeks holy leisure - the necessity of charity accepts just work.
(1473) The forgiveness of sin and
restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the
eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin
remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all
kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the
Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin
as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as
well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put
off completely the "old man" and to put on the
"new man."
When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.
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02/05/2006
