7 Spiritual Works of Mercy

1. To instruct the ignorant.

The first spiritual work of mercy is to instruct the ignorant. Biblically speaking, this action
comes directly from Jesus when He instructs His apostles,

2. To counsel the doubtful

The second spiritual work of mercy is to counsel the doubtful. We find this work of mercy
throughout the New Testament, particularly in Saint Pauls epistles. Generally speaking, each of
Saint Pauls letters are aimed at counseling the doubtful, for he gives sound wisdom and advice to
Christians on the road to Salvation.

3. To Admonish the sinners

To admonish the sinner begins by admonishing one's self. After all, we are all sinners.
Humility is the virtue by which we recognize our sinfulness and our weakness, thus realizing that
we ourselves depend upon God's mercy to forgive us our sins and upon His grace to strengthen
us to resist sin in the future. Without humility, we will not admit our sins honestly to ourselves
and, when needed, to others also. Since human weakness is always present due to Original Sin
and our own past personal sins, we know that we must struggle each day to resist evil and do
good. The Bible says that even the just person falls seven times a day. (cf. Prov. 24:16) In
biblical terms a "just person" meant a holy person. So even the saints had their sins and needed
to remind themselves constantly of the danger of sinning. They needed always to beware of
falling again. Jesus Himself told the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Watch and pray that
you may not enter into the test." (Mt. 26:41) When we "pray," we strengthen ourselves to resist
sin by asking God for the grace to carry out His Will every day. When we "watch," we are
vigilant to avoid the occasions of sin, namely, any person, place, or thing that would lead us to
offend God.

4. To bear patiently those who wrong us

The fourth spiritual work of mercy is one that is simple in theory, but difficult in practice: to
bear wrongs patiently. We all know how to be charitable and patient to those who are pleasant,
kind and humble. However, our initial reaction is not patience when someone cuts in line in
front of us after waiting for an hour at the DMV.

5. To forgive offenses
 The fifth spiritual work of mercy is one that will greatly prepare us to embrace the Jubilee
Year of Mercy: to forgive offenses willingly. This particular work of mercy is one of the
hardest, as it requires a great deal of humility to perform it.

6. To comfort the afflicted

The sixth spiritual work of mercy highlights an act of charity that we too often neglect. In
American society we tend to avoid, comforting the afflicted, and either try to solve the
problem or dismiss a persons suffering entirely. We are even told that suffering is a sign of
weakness and so many of us will never bring up our affliction in front of others.

7. To pray for the living and the dead

The final spiritual work of mercy is surprisingly simple and accessible to all: pray for the living and the
dead. However, at the same time it is very easy to forget in a culture where we are taught to be
independent and divorced from our past