Read the list of the seven corporal works of mercy: Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and bury the dead. Read the passages, Matthew 25:31-40 from the New Testament and from the Old Testament Tobit 1:16-18 and underline each of the works of mercy identifiable in the text. Use blue to identify those you are sure of and red to identify those you are not sure of. Compare with a partner. Matthew 25:31-40 (NRSVCE) The Judgment of the Nations 31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? 40 And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Tobit 1:16-18 (NRSVCE) Courage in Burying the Dead 16 In the days of Shalmaneser [a] I performed many acts of charity to my kindred, those of my tribe. 17 I would give my food to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw the dead body of any of my people thrown out behind the wall of Nineveh, I would bury it. 18 I also buried any whom King Sennacherib put to death when he came fleeing from Judea in those days of judgment that the king of heaven executed upon him because of his blasphemies. For in his anger he put to death many Israelites; but I would secretly remove the bodies and bury them. So when Sennacherib looked for them he could not find them.
Activity Working Mercy
Students form small learning teams to consider ways the Corporal Works of Mercy are put into practical action within the local community setting and how these efforts might be practically supported.
Each learning team is allocated a different corporal work to consider. They use online resources, print resources (e.g. the local telephone book) and human resources, to list ways their allocated corporal work in put into action within the local community. The cards provided below could be used. Each card already includes some suggestions. Students can add additional groups on the back of each card. Individually, students select one group (e.g. Meals on Wheels) and complete a 5Ws + H Strategy about the group and how they act justly within the local community context.
Students should be encouraged to think more broadly than a simple surface level interpretation of each corporal work. For example, giving drink to the thirsty might incorporate: local efforts to ensure people overseas have access to safe drinking water. Meals on Wheels Freds Van
Salvation Army Stores Vinnies Stores Mary Potter Hospice Hospital Chaplaincy Friends of the Local Cemetery Program Parish Care and Concern Group
Spiritual works of mercy Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic theologian from the thirteenth century in his Summa Theologiae, faithfully records and describes the spiritual works of mercy. Like the corporal works, the spiritual works illustrate ways Christians are able to demonstrate charity to others. The Spiritual works of mercy are:
Challenge injustice, Instruct those who need to learn, Console those losing hope, Comfort the sorrowful, Bear wrongs patiently, Forgive all injuries (against you), Pray for the living and the dead. The following table gives some everyday examples of the spiritual works of mercy. Students provide an example from their classroom or school context.
Spiritual Works of Mercy Everyday English Version Example at school
Challenge injustice
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel those who are doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Challenge people and organisations that treat others unjustly and unfairly.
Teach/Learn more about justice issues and help others to do the same.
Work with others to solve problems
Show practical empathy to those who are dealing with problems in their life.
St Vincent de Paul Hostel Catholic Prison Ministry
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
Pray for the living and the dead
Be patient with others who share a different viewpoint from yours.
Forgive and help others to do the same.
Pray each day for the human family, both living and those who have died.
Students examine the seventeenth century artwork by Teniers The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy below or via this link.
Answer the following questions:
Describe what you see. E.g. colour/use of light, people, animals, objects, buildings, actions.
Which of the corporate works of mercy can you identify?
Students create an advertising poster for display around the school community. Each poster should focus on one of the everyday English versions of the spiritual works of mercy or the corporal works of mercy but place it in a practical context. An example of how this might be done is provided below as well as the learning log entry by a Year 8 student who created the poster. Other examples could be produced digitally using an online tool.
This might be some good resources to use Cardijn College Harrassment Policy and the student policy http://www.cardijn.catholic.edu.au/__files/f/6540/Student%20Harassment%20Policy%202013.pdf
I chose the Spiritual work: Challenge injustice which I re-wrote to mean, Stick up for people who are treated unfairly. I then chose bullying as a justice issue in my school. My poster is called, Bullying is not cool.