It used to be required that all young Catholics memorize the Works of Mercy as an ever-present mandate for how we are to live. But nowadays, memorization is forgotten and most people only know a couple of the Corporal Works. Do you remember—feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, bury the dead? Yet, our world is in desperate need of the Spiritual Works of Mercy, so perhaps we should bring back that memorization practice to our Sunday School programs. Do you agree?
The Corporal Works address poverty and the physical needs of our neighbors. But the Spiritual Works of Mercy are equally important and these works call us to love souls. They are:
- Admonish the sinner (Colossians 3:16)
- Instruct the ignorant (Jude 1:23)
- Counsel the doubtful
- Comfort the sorrowful (Isaiah 66:13)
- Bear wrongs patiently (Colossians 3:12)
- Forgive all injuries
- Pray for the living and the dead
Certainly Jesus instructed, counseled and comforted. He also admonished sinners, calling some “vipers” and telling the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more.” When Jesus was mocked and tortured, He was forgiving. And He often withdrew to quiet places for prayer. Our Church teaches that these acts of mercy are partnered with the Corporal Works because these acts steer others toward heaven.
There has been a lot of conversation in Catholic blogging circles about whether it is ever appropriate, in the modern world, to “judge” others. The most often quoted Scripture is, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” But judgment, properly understood and exercised, is a necessary part of love and prudence.
Every parent knows it is unloving to let a child have their way at all times. It is unloving to allow a teenager to get drunk. It is unloving to smile when one child hits another child.
The same understanding of love is true in the world. It is unloving to know someone who wants to get an abortion and never to say a thing about “other options.” It is unloving to hear dirty jokes and laugh as if that was just fine. It is unloving to let our entire society slid into immorality without ever raising a cry.
The first three of the Spiritual Works require study and preparation. But first-time parents know the importance of preparation…they read parenting books and watch how other mothers and fathers provide instruction and correction. So why do we as Catholics not do a better job preparing young people for how to live in the world, but not be sucked down by it?
For many years, I was among those who didn’t want to hear the evening news (messages of violence and the further deterioration of our culture.) I walked away from any difficult conversation. I was focused on raising children and it was painful to hear the details about the culture they would inherit.
But now my children are teenagers, attending a public school. They are confronted every day by atheism or immorality … and they have to decide whether to speak up or back down and go along. Since my son has decided to educate himself and stand up for truth…so I’ve been compelled…(a bit of kicking and screaming along the way)…to learn, pay attention, and begin instructing, counseling and admonishing. I can’t say I’m good at it….
Recently I engaged in dialogue with a Protestant pastor who wrote that moral and cultural issues are not of concern to Christians because we are only called to share God’s love and forgiveness. I wrote that morality and faith go hand in hand. Morality is the lifestyle that flows out of faith, or guides us toward faith. To deny the sinfulness that is being legislated into “the normal and the good”—to not instruct others about this—is downright unloving of our neighbors.
The pastor deleted that entire dialogue!
So, I can’t say I’m a success. And there is so much more to learn. But, I have come to realize that Catholic moms, who want to raise Catholic kids, need to learn all they can about the Spiritual Works of Mercy and how to live them!
The works of mercy are not optional; they are essential to the Christian life.
Editor’s Note: How do you exercise the Spiritual Works of Mercy? Let us hear from you in the combox below.
Visit Judith’s website: http://www.drawingonfaith.weebly.com/. Her artwork is featured at www.flickr.com/photos/faithart/ and on Facebook.
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