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Works of mercy

Caritas, The Seven Acts of Mercy, pen and ink drawing by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1559.[a]

Works of mercy (sometimes known as 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).[1][2]

The works of mercy have been traditionally divided into two categories, each with seven elements:[3][4]

  1. "Corporal works of mercy" which concern the material and physical needs of others.
  2. "Spiritual works of mercy" which concern the spiritual needs of others.

Pope John Paul II issued a papal encyclical 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."[5] Another notable devotion associated with the works of mercy is the Divine Mercy, which derives from apparitions of Jesus Christ to Saint Faustina Kowalska.


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  1. ^ John Stephen Bowden (2005). Encyclopedia of Christianity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195223934. Retrieved 5 July 2011. Works of mercy are, therefore, not merely good deeds but also channels through which Christians receive God's grace.
  2. ^ Manskar, Steve (22 December 2014). "Holiness of Heart and Life: Part 3 of 6". United Methodist Church. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  3. ^ R Mauriello, Matthew (2011). Mercies Remembered. Xulon Press. pp. 149–160. ISBN 9781612150055.
  4. ^ Thomas Aquinas (1256–72). "Of Almsdeeds (II-II, Q.32)". Summa Theologica.
  5. ^ Pope John Paul II, Dives in misericordia, §14, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 30 November 1980.

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