Works of mercy
various merciful acts promoted by Christian tradition, sometimes in a series of seven named acts
Works of mercy (sometimes called acts of mercy) are practices considered meritorious in Christian ethics.
The practice is popular in the Catholic Church as an act of both penance and charity. In addition, the Methodist Church teaches that the works of mercy are a means of grace that evidence holiness of heart (entire sanctification).
The works of mercy have traditionally been divided into two categories, each with seven elements:
"Corporal works of mercy" which concern the material and physical needs of others.
"Spiritual works of mercy" which concern the spiritual needs of others.
Pope John Paul II issued a papal encyclical, known as Dives in misericordia, on 30 November 1980, declaring that "Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called upon 'to practice mercy' towards others." Another notable devotion associated with the works of mercy is the Divine Mercy, which derives from apparitions of Jesus Christ to Saint Faustina Kowalska.
In the Catholic Church
Based on Jesus' parable of The Sheep and the Goats and other accounts in the New Testament, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are a means of grace as good deeds; they are also a work of justice pleasing to God, and a sign of the authenticity of a believer's worship of God.
The precept is an affirmative obligation—that is, it is always binding, though not always operative due to lack of opportunity, matter, or suitable circumstances. In practice, its actual force in a given case depends largely on a person's capacity.
There are clear limitations on how the precept applies to the performance of the corporal works of mercy.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2060734. The Library of Congress control number is sh87007633. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1980.
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