What are the works of mercy? It is what we will talk about throughout this article, where we will know what actions we, as Catholic people, can do to start practicing these works sent by God in our lives. So I invite you to keep reading to learn more about these.
Index of contents
What are the works of mercy?
All people must keep in mind at all times, what are the works of mercySince, within the mystery of mercy are the blessings of God, and it is important to put them into practice so that our soul is enlightened in the grace of God, because these types of actions are a source of joy, serenity and peace.
Therefore, the word Mercy is a law that lives in the hearts of all human beings, and that makes us look at other people with sincere eyes regardless of their circumstance.
What are the works of mercy?
The works of mercy are those actions, which are done through actions of charity with which we try to help our neighbor, with regard to the needs that they have at different levels of life.
Many people confuse these actions with acts that are done to try to keep their minds at peace and serenity, but the essence of the works of mercy is to guide kind souls to the path of good.
This is why it is necessary to know what are the works of mercy so that we become aware of our position, which differentiates us from the most helpless who go through infinite hardships, and need our help to heal their souls. And when we, as Christians, take actions to help these beings through the corporal or spiritual works of mercy, we are behaving towards our brothers as God ordained us from ancient times.
These types of actions must come from the hearts of people, helping others or those who live around you. We have to be the living example of God with us as with others.
Corporal Mercy
Among the works of corporal mercy we have the following:
- Visiting the sick: It is when we give care to the elderly and the sick in the physical aspect, as in a time of company that we give them with great affection. In the same way, you can help by providing care to these people, through our own hands or by hiring a professional, who can provide them with dignified care that helps them recover.
- Feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty: it is that we must always try to give food to the most needy. Or things that can support you to earn a living.
- Give inn to the pilgrim: In the time of Jesus, lodging travelers was something that was used a lot to do, because the journeys they had to make were complicated and risky. Today, this does not happen much, but perhaps at some point we have to receive a person out of necessity to help him not to spend the night helpless in the street, and this is also a work of mercy.
- Dressing the naked: It is a work of mercy where we help those in need in terms of clothing, many times where we live there are parishes that collect clothing in good condition to give them to the most needy. Accepting that many times we have clothes, that we no longer use, but that they are in good condition and that they can be used by another person who needs them.
- Visiting prisoners: It consists of going and giving help not only material, but also spiritual. So that these people who are confined in a penitentiary institution, can correct their path and learn to do a job that helps them when they leave there.
- Bury the deceased: The action of burying the deceased is important, because by giving the human body its Christian burial, the deceased is offered an ascension so that they may arrive before God, since he himself has been the instrument of accommodation of the holy spirit that we all are . Since, we are all spirits and the one that dies is the body.
If you found this post interesting, we invite you to read our article on: Learn a powerful prayer of thanks.
Spiritual Mercy
Among the works of spiritual mercy we can come to name:
- Teach the one who does not know: this is an action, where we teach those people who are neophytes or illiterate, in any subject including religious reasons. This teaching can be done through writing, words or any means of communication that you use directly and indirectly with the person.
- Give good advice to those who need it: It is said that one of the gifts that the holy spirit possesses is that of giving advice. That is why, whoever decides to give advice to anyone has to be in tune with God, is carrying out a work of mercy, in addition, it is not giving an opinion of what you believe, but rather, advising from the better way without judging anyone, being the person's spiritual guide, leading them to the path of God.
- Correct the one who is wrong: in this part what is sought is to straighten the path of the sinner. In a humble way, make him see what they are doing wrong, and this on many occasions is not an easy task, but as it is written in a letter from the apostle James: “He who straightens a sinner from an evil way will save the soul from his death and will obtain the forgiveness of many sins ”.
- Forgive the one who offends us: this action that is reflected in the Our Father tells us that, to forgive the offenses of others, is to overcome those feelings of revenge and resentment that any human being has. In addition, it explains that we should treat those who are offending us kindly.
- Comfort the sad: Consoling sad people is a way of carrying out a work of spiritual mercy, which is complemented several times by giving good advice to help overcome the person's situation. Accompanying him in those difficult moments is an example of what Jesus did, when he sympathizes with the pain of people and always seeks to help them.
- Patiently suffer the defects of others: this is an action, that we must put into practice with patience before those things that we do not like. But, in the event that supporting these defects of the other cause more harm than good, and it is advisable to talk with the person and make him see that what he is doing does not give him any benefit or joy.
- Pray to God for the living and the dead: Saint Paul came to recommend praying for everyone without any kind of distinction, whether they are rulers or people with great responsibilities. As well as the deceased who are in purgatory, who depend on our actions, and Pope Francis also asked that we pray for Christians who are persecuted for any reason.
According to the explanation of what are the works of mercyIt can be said that the corporal works of mercy are born from a list of activities carried out by the Lord in his description of the Last Judgment.
And instead, the spiritual works of mercy have been taken up by the church, as by other texts that are found throughout the bible and, in addition, by the attitudes that are mentioned in the teachings that Jesus had.
To end this article we can say what are the works of mercy, defining that all of them are inspired in some way or another in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, both before and during his Calvary to free humanity from sin, always taking into account when it walked among us, and each one of the works As much as corporal or spiritual that we have named, Jesus at some point came to do them in a disinterested way and with great faith.
That is why we are invited to practice each of the aforementioned works to become better Catholic Christians and to follow the teachings that Jesus left us on earth.