By Joe Paprocki, DMin Corporal Works of Mercy - The Corporal Works of Mercy are kind acts by which we help our neighbors with their everyday material and physical needs. Feed the Hungry

• see to the proper nutrition of your loved ones,
• support and volunteer for food pantries, soup kitchens, and agencies that feed the hungry
• make a few sandwiches to hand out as you walk through areas where you might encounter people in need
• educate yourself about world hunger
• avoid wasting food
• share your meals with others.

Shelter the Homeless

• help neighbors care for their homes and do repairs
• support and/or volunteer at a homeless shelter
• support and/or volunteer for charitable agencies who care for the homeless, build homes, and provide support in the wake of natural disasters
• advocate for public policies and legislation that provide housing for low-income people
• consider becoming a foster parent.

Clothe the Naked

• go through your drawers and closets and find good-condition clothes and shoes to donate to agencies that provide assistance for those in need
• participate in programs that provide towels and linens for hospitals in distressed areas
• Volunteer to work at a clothing drive or at a shelter where clothing is distributed to those in need
• Support the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society

Visit the Sick

• spend quality time with those who are sick or homebound
• take the time to call, send a card or an e-mail to someone who is sick
• volunteer to drive patients to medical appointments and treatment facilities
• volunteer at a hospital
• assist those who are full-time caregivers for family members
• cook and delivers meals to the sick and homebound

Visit the Imprisoned

• support and/or participate in ministries to those who are incarcerated
• support programs sponsored by agencies that advocate on behalf of those who are unjustly imprisoned
• support job-training and educational programs designed to rehabilitate prisoners
• pray for the families of inmates
• support programs that provide holiday gifts for prisoners and their families
• support efforts that seek the abolition of the death penalty

Give to the Poor

• take some small bills or loose change (or coupon books if you prefer not to carry cash) with you to hand out to people you encounter who are in need
• throw your coin change into a jar and periodically donate it to a charity
• if possible make a regular monetary donation to a charity that tends to the needs of the poor.

Bury the Dead

• be faithful about attending wakes/visitation
• support or volunteer at a hospice
• participate in a bereavement ministry
• spend time with widows and widowers
• take friends and relatives to visit the cemetery
• support ministries that offer free Christian burials to those unable to afford one
• offer daily prayers for those with terminal illnesses and for those who have died
• send Mass cards to families of those who have died.

Spiritual Works of Mercy - The Spiritual Works of Mercy are kind acts by which we help our neighbors with their everyday spiritual and emotional needs. Instructing

• commit yourself to learning about the Catholic faith and share your understanding of the faith with others and with those who welcome it
• share your insights, knowledge, and skills with others, especially friends, fellow students, coworkers
• take time to “tutor” those who are just beginning tasks
• read good literature and encourage others to do the same.

Advising

• be courageous yet compassionate in calling people and institutions to be faithful to Gospel values
• intervene in situations in which people are clearly doing harm to themselves or others
• respond to negative and prejudicial comments with positive statements
• put an end to gossip by walking away; set a good example for others.

Consoling

• work at being optimistic and avoiding cynicism
• respond to cynicism, skepticism, and doubt with hope
• be articulate about your own hopes
• ask people about their hopes and support them in trying to attain them.

Comforting

• walk with others through their pain
• offer words of encouragement to those who seem discouraged
• offer positive words to fellow students or coworkers who are having a difficult time with their tasks
• be present to those who are struggling or in emotional pain or despair
• offer sympathy to those who are grieving.

Forgiving

• pray for those who have wronged you and pray for the courage to forgive;
• ask forgiveness from others;
• let go of grudges; go out of your way to be positive with someone you are having a difficult time with.

Bearing wrongs patiently

• work at being less critical of others
• overlook minor flaws and mistakes
• give people the benefit of the doubt
• assume that people who may have hurt you did so because they are enduring pain of their own
• pray for those who have wronged you.

* Some of the above suggestions need to be adapted for young children and should not be practiced without the supervision or accompaniment of an adult