Expert: Tom Schott - 11/4/2005

Question
Tom;
     I was "expounding" on the church teaching us to be merciful through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  My friend asked me what the source of the works were/are.  I told him I suspected straight from Christ/gospels.  When were they actually"compiled" into formal lists?  I'm particularly interested in the first thru third spiritual works:  1. Admonish sinners, 2. Instruct the uninformed, 3. Counsel the doubtful.     It appears that todays church (I'm 64; I remember a different day) does very little in the way of admonishment. Frequently when I'm in social discussions I challenge people on various positions (eg. abortion) My wife becomes uncomfortable and would rather I "leave it alone".   My response is: "I'm supposed to, I'm practicing a spiritual work of mercy."   Sorry for rambling Tom, what say you?

              Respectfully in Christ,
                       Al Columbus

Answer
Al,we're just about the same age. I've checked several sources as to the origins of the works of mercy, and there's no single source. They seem to be derivative. Here's what the Catholic Encyclopedia (1910) says:  

the works of mercy practically coincide with the various forms of almsgiving. It is thus that St. Thomas regards them. The word alms of course is a corruption of the Greek elenmosyne (mercy). The doing of works of mercy is not merely a matter of exalted counsel; there is as well a strict precept imposed both by the natural and the positive Divine law enjoining their performance. That the natural law enjoins works of mercy is based upon the principle that we are to do to others as we would have them do to us.

So what we have here is something coming out of natural law, a law that is not all that apparent in its operations and content to Catholics a century after this was written.

Be that as it may, I find the idea of "admonish the sinner" would cause me to be pretty presumptuous in most cases. I have to define another person as a sinner before I admonish them, and frankly I'm too aware of my own sins to do much in the way of calling other people to task because they do the same things I do, i.e., sin against the Father. All moral theology points to the complexity of moral issues and the uncertainty with which we have to assign evil and blame in most cases. This being so, it's probably better to pray for a person we suspect is sinning rather than call them out on it. That's what I do unless the sin is so blatant and harmful to another as to be unavoidable.