1. Corporal Works of Mercy
“Whatever You Do for the Least of My Brothers and Sisters, You Do for Me. ”
Matthew 25:40
Photos by James Nacteway

2. Introduction
The Old Testament (Isaiah 58:6-10) and the New Testament (Matthew 25:34-40) are the biblical origins of the Corporal Works of Mercy.
These charitable actions for the common good and basic human welfare reflect the Church’s teachings on Catholic social justice.

3. Introduction
Pope John Paul II reminds us in his encyclical, Rich in Mercy: “Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called to practice mercy toward others: ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’.”

4. Introduction
The Holy Spirit inspires our commitment to the Corporal Works of Mercy and our commitment defines our relationship with God.
As His hands on Earth, the faithful are not only called to care for the less fortunate, but also to respect and care for the goods of God’s creation, intended for the whole human race.

5. Introduction
Each and every day, missionaries worldwide live the Corporal Works of Mercy through selfless, compassionate acts in response to the needs of the world’s poorest, most overlooked, forgotten and vulnerable members of society.

6. Feed the Hungry
Somalia, Famine victim sewn into burial shroud

7. “For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food”
Sudan, Famine victim in a feeding center.

8. Give Drink to the Thirsty
Somalia, Child starved by famine, thirst – the original man-made weapon of mass destruction

9. “For I was Thirsty and You Gave Me Drink”
Sudan, Famine victim about to receive water in a feeding center.

10. Clothe The Naked
Indonesia A beggar washing his children in a polluted canal

11. “For I Was Naked and You Clothed Me.”
Romania, An orphan in an institution for “incurables”

12. Afghanistan 1996 - Ruins of Kabul from civil war
Shelter The Homeless
Afghanistan Ruins of Kabul from civil war

13. “For I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me”
Indonesia A homeless child sleeping off a drug high on the streets

14. Shelter The Homeless
Chechnya Ruins of central Grozny

15. Visit The Sick
Afghanistan Land mine victims learning to walk on prosthetic legs

16. “For I Was Ill and You Cared For Me”
Zimbabwe In a tuberculosis ward where the vast majority of the patients suffer from AIDS

17. Visit The Sick
Rwanda Survivor of Hutu death camp

18. Visit The Imprisoned
Alabama 1994 Punishment post on the chain gang

19. “For I Was In Prison and You Came to Visit Me”
Pakistan 2001 A rehab center for heroin addicts

20. Romania 1990 - An orphanage for “incurables”
Visit The Imprisoned
Romania An orphanage for “incurables”

21. Bury The Dead
Afghanistan 1996 Mourning a brother killed by a Taliban rocket

22. “In Death, God Calls Man To Himself”
Bosnia, Mourning a soldier killed and buried in what was a football field

23. “Even Death Cannot Rob Us of Our Fundamental Dignity as Human Persons
Somalia Lifting a dead son to carry him to a mass grave during the famine

24. “If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well: keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:16-18)”