by CCW | 22 November 2017 15:24
They are known as the works of corporal mercy, mercy directed towards one another in relation to the physical and material conditions of human life. Corporal refers to the things of the body. There are seven works of corporal mercy in the Christian understanding as derived from Scripture but which have their parallel or equivalent expressions in other religions and philosophies.
The locus classicus is the Matthaean Apocalypse, the term sometimes used to describe the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. Read in Chapel this week, it follows wonderfully upon our consideration of the Ten Commandments and earlier, the Beatitudes; in a way, those ethical teaching converge in the works of corporal mercy. Intentions shape actions. There is the constant challenge for our deeds, our actions, to be the proper expression of our creeds, our intentions. Matthew presents powerfully six of the works of corporal mercy. What are they? Feeding the hungry; giving drink to the thirsty; clothing the naked; s giving shelter to the homeless; visiting the sick; visiting the imprisoned. And the seventh? Burying the dead.
The critical point is that these are all motions of the Good in us as directed to others and for their good. It requires us to see ourselves in the other especially the other who is in need. But it is also a profound recognition of the good in the other and the good for the other. It means acting out of the Good by doing good to others. The works of mercy are the motions of God’s goodness in us towards others. That is why Jesus says in Matthew’s Gospel that “as you did this to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” In the Christian understanding, it is about seeing Christ in one another.
These are powerful ethical ideas that counter the ideologies of power and domination of whatever form. Plato famously argues that justice cannot be what is in the interest of the stronger because justice has to be a universal principle, something for all and not merely for the few. He argues, again famously, that our souls and our communities will not be well-ordered until “philosophers become kings or kings become philosophers,” meaning that reason must have priority over the spirited and the appetitive aspects of our humanity in order for those features of our personality to achieve their proper expression. Since it is all about the Good, Plato argues that the Philosopher/King cannot simply ascend to the Good and remain there in rapt contemplation but must descend back down into the Cave for the good of the others. It means dealing respectfully with the confusions and the difficulties that belong to the whole spectrum of human experience. The Good can never be a private possession. In a way, that journey back down into the cave of images parallels the teaching about the works of corporal mercy.
Something of the immeasurable, incalculable, and infinite nature of God’s goodness is shown in The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt. 18.21-35). Peter asks Jesus about the limits to forgiveness. “How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?” Jesus responds with the deliberate exaggeration of “seventy times seven”, meaning that there can be no limit to forgiveness. The problem lies in ourselves, about our relation to what has been shown to us. He tells the parable about the servant who was forgiven a great debt because of the mercy of his Lord but then refuses to forgive someone who owed him a paltry amount; thus negating the forgiveness that had been shown to him. In a way, his failure serves to reveal the infinite nature of God’s goodness. As with the works of corporal mercy, the constant challenge is to let God’s merciful goodness and truth move freely and fully in us and especially in our dealings with one another. For the corollary also holds true; “as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me,” Jesus says. We are being held to account for our thoughts and their expression in actions. At issue is whether the Good is alive and moving in us.
As with the works of corporal mercy so with the matter of forgiveness. We have to see ourselves in the other whether with respect to bodily needs and concerns or in terms of our need for forgiveness. To do so is to be alive to what ennobles and dignifies our humanity. It is found in service towards others. That is why at King’s-Edgehill there is a constant emphasis upon the ethics of service. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me,” Jesus says.
(Rev’d) David Curry
Chaplain, English & ToK teacher
Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy
Source URL: https://christchurchwindsor.ca/2017/11/22/kes-chapel-reflection-week-of-19-november/
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