The Spiritual Works of Mercy in Life Essay Example

The Spiritual Works of Mercy are practices that concern the spiritual well being of others, and as Catholics, we perform them regularly. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are to instruct the ignorant, bear wrongs patiently, pray for the living and the dead, comfort the sorrowful, forgive offenses willingly, counsel the doubtful, and admonish the sinner. Using these practices, Catholics can lead a holy and well-balanced life. While helping someone in need, you might feel closer to God and feel like you are doing what God would want you to do. Some things to do are to start a food or clothing drive and donate all the proceeds to charity to help people in need. 

One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to “Instruct the Ignorant”. To follow this practice in your own life, you can teach people younger than you about God’s good news and how much he loves everyone. As a society, starting a bible study could help teach people who are new to Catholicism about the faith. In society, people donate money, so that less fortunate families can send their children to Catholic schools to learn more about God and their faith. In the bible, Jesus taught the people he met about how to pray to God, and told them that God is always with them and always loves them, no matter what. Finally, in your own life, you can start a club that teaches younger kids about God in a fun way. 

To “Bear Wrongs Patiently” is another Spiritual Work of Mercy. In order to follow this, one must not hold a grudge against someone, but forgive them, because that is what God would want. In Reconciliation, God always forgives us of our sins when we ask for his forgiveness. You could also try to help people learn how to express their feelings in a way that doesn’t hurt other people’s feelings. In the bible, Jesus forgave people’s sins like his Father does. Finally, next time someone makes a mistake, don't give them a hard time about it, forgive them and move on. 

Another Spiritual Work of Mercy is “Pray for the Living and the Dead”. An easy way to follow this practice is to pray for someone who is sick, or pray for a family who has a loved one who passed away. In the community and all over the world, people have prayer services that are dedicated to someone who has died, where they pray for them and reminisce about good memories and/or experiences they had with that person. At school, we pray multiple times a day, and we have an intention that we pray for, usually a group of people in need. In the Bible, Jesus prayed for people who were sick or dying and he helped them get better. In the future, you could start a dedication prayer group where you pray for people who are sick or dying, and you could help families that have a loved one that died. 

The final Spiritual Work of Mercy is “Comfort the Sorrowful”. Donating to people less fortunate is one of the many ways to follow this work. You can help people in mourning by bringing them food and happy wishes. In everyday life, people go to funerals to comfort the family of someone who has died, and to send off the person who has died. In the Bible, Jesus told people that even when we don’t feel it, God is always with us and helps us when we need His help. In your own life, you can bring dinner to a poor family. 

By carrying out the Spiritual Works of Mercy, the people you help will feel good. Also, you will feel good, because you are carrying our God’s Will and living like he would want us to live. Even if you do something small, like say a prayer for someone in need, or  something big, like start a club or bible study that teaches others about God, there are no small acts of kindness when you are helping someone. The next time you perform a Spiritual Work of Mercy, remember that your act of kindness could encourage others to do the same, which would create a kinder world.