Catechism in Pictures, text & image-65
THE WORKS OF MERCY.
THE CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY
Explanation of the Plate.
1. Mercy is a virtue which incites us to sympathize in the sufferings of others and to alleviate them when we can.
2. There are two classes of works of mercy, viz., corporal works and spiritual works.
3. The corporal works of mercy are those that which relieve the temporal wants of the body.
4. There are seven corporal works of mercy, viz., (1) to feed the hungry, (2) to give drink to the thirsty, (3) to clothe the naked, (4) to harbour the harbourless, (5) to visit the sick, (6) to visit the imprisoned and, (7) to bury the dead. We illustrate here (1), (4), (5) and (7). Feeding the Hungry 5. The first corporal work of mercy is to feed the hungry. 6. The central picture at the top illustrates the story of the miracle wrought by the prophet Elias on the diminutive store of meal and oil of the widow of Sarephta, so that although drawn upon daily, it suffered no decrease. …More