Christians which of these do you feel most called to focus on, that is if you do not have a problem with them?

Question

The Corporal Works of Mercy


1. Feed the hungry.
2. Give drink to the thirsty.
3. Clothe the naked.
4. Shelter the homeless.
5. Comfort the imprisoned.
6. Visit the sick.
7. Bury the dead.


The Spiritual Works of Mercy

1. Admonish sinners.
2. Instruct the uninformed.
3. Counsel the doubtful.
4. Comfort the sorrowful.
5. Be patient with those in error.
6. Forgive offenses.
7. Pray for the living and the dead

I agree all are important although we may interpret them differently. Perhaps I should have asked if anyone found these evil or wrong. Other than the take on praying for the dead. That is a Catholic thought and I am aware it is not shared by Protestants but even the Jews prayed for their dead.

Answer 1

I feel I need to live everyday as much like Christ as I can. I feel that all these things fall under that category. Adifferent situation may occur everyday.

Answer 2

I pray that the dead are in a safe place and go to heaven........As for the one thing which I feel most called to focus on?...Well I would have to say feeding the hungry,giving drink to the thirsty,clothe the naked,and shelter the homeless.I couldn't choose just one.When I get a career I actually want to focus on doing humanitarian acts especially for poverty stricken communities in Africa and India,etc.So your question was a tricky one for me because the things you listed were all relative to the idea of helping/caring for someone else and showing compassion.

Answer 3

We are half body and half spirit, so I think we should focus on both of these forms of charity equally.
I don't know of any way one could give preference to either set of good works, because they each address different needs of humanity.
Also, if one is a Christian answering this question, it is impossible to have a problem with them because these works were prescribed for us by Jesus himself at least indirectly (sorry no Bible reference handy).
However, we can focus more on one set more than the other only according to our unique abilities.
The sick, elderly, and cloistered religious can focus more on the spiritual works because they have more time, but less energy or opportunity to use.
The young, healthy, and those with more time, opportunity, and social connections can focus on the corporal works more (not that they can't also perform the spiritual works).

Answer 4

As Christians, we should strive to do each one of those to the best of our abilities, except the part about praying for the dead. There is nothing we can do for them. However, we can pay for the living so that they will become Christians like us. I cannot speak for all CHristians, so i do not find any of them wrong, aside from the praying fro the dead

Answer 5

Most called changes with situations and surroundings.

I have been called (literally by phone) to comfort the sorrowful. My sister in laws father died suddenly. She needed me to watch her children in the middle of the night, so she could travel to the site of his death. I went over there as requested and also sent a little bible with her to read on the journey. She was a non believer and reading this simple little new testament helped to comfort and guide her during this time.

During our years as a parent, we are called biblically to instruct our uninformed young that God has given us. We are called to admonish them when they are wrong, we are to cousel them when they doubt and ask questions that need to be answered from the bible itself. We are to be patient with them if they rebel and seek the worldly life, and we are to forgive them when they find their way back to God.

We pray for the living and the requests that they make know to us. We cannot, however, pray for the dead, as death is the end of the age of grace for us now. Once dead we can no longer use our free will to accept or reject God. Jesus said up on the cross, as his dying breath, "IT IS FINISHED".

In short, God calls us to do any number of these things mentioned at any given time and place. It is not what we think we are called to be doing, its actually doing what we are being called to do at any given time that we are called to do it.

Read your bible, not a misselette. listen to men, but if and when their words differ from the bible, stick with the bible. Above all follow God, not man. Read the book of Acts for evidence of this one.

Answer 6

what I would like to know is who wrote these rules for christians to follow? the roman catholic church?it seems to me that anyone with a heart would do these things on their own I was born and raised a catholic but no longer follow the religion,mainly because I have found out that most of the things they say are all lies!!!!

Answer 7

I try to live each day as Christ would ask of me...ask Christ HAS asked of me. Each of these falls into my daily routine at different times of different days. (Praying for the dead does no good though...
just realized what that says. When you are dead, you are dead...no prayer needed any further. You are either in Heaven or hell...and no prayer will change that. )

Answer 8

except for praying for the dead, all the rest should be done by everyone... but to tell someone that these must be done to enter heaven is not right... There is only one way to enter Heaven. All must come to God in TheWay He proscribes and receive His free gift of Salvation.

Answer 9

Actually all of the above. Addiction couselling, leading people to God's healing power over their addiction through His word and having a personal relationship with Him.

Answer 10

Y du u ask this?
Jesus says 2 du what He would du.
live like He would. Just live 4 Christ and du as much as possible 4 Him.