SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY OR THE CORPORTAL WORKS OF MERCY? ONLY ONE OR BOTH?
QUESTION?
What is more important – the spiritual works of mercy or the corporal works of mercy?
ANSWER!
CCC 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?’
The spiritual works of mercy are medicine for the soul. The corporal works of mercy are medicine for the body. Our Lord clearly prioritizes that the spiritual works of mercy are more important than the corporal works of mercy. In Mathew 8:21-23 it reads: ‘“Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.’ Dr Scott Hahn writes: “Burial was a sacred duty in ancient Judaism (Gen 50:5; Tob 4:3-4) and a corporal work of mercy. Jesus singles out the custom to emphasize the greater importance of discipleship. Allegiance to Jesus must outweigh even family commitments (10:37; 19:29; Lk 14:26). Those who are spiritually dead (i.e. clinging to worldly concerns) can bury the physically dead. Jesus does not thereby undermine the propriety of burial but uses it as a stepping stone to illustrate the higher demands of the Christian life.
The higher demands of the Christian life are ‘evangelization’, ‘winning souls for Christ.’ Remember, the code of canon law (1752) states: “…the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes.” The ‘spiritual works of mercy – instructing, advising and consoling the sinner with the message of Good News of Jesus Christ in order to bring them to repentance and save their soul is the supreme law of the Church and the divine mandate by Our Lord that supersedes anything else.