Article II. On the works of charity toward neighbor

Since we ought to love neighbor not only with internal affection, but also in effect and external work, and since there is a special difficulty in rightly exercising charity in external work, hence we must treat specially of the external works of charity, or of the works of mercy.

587. Mercy⁴¹ can be taken in three ways, namely, a) according as it is a passion of the appetite, and then it is nothing other than compassion or sadness concerning another's misery, namely, that of another man or even of some brute animal; or b) according as it is a moral and special virtue, in which sense it can be defined: "the virtue inclining the will to due compassion for, and alleviation of, another's misery";⁴² therefore the material object of this mercy is the misery of neighbor (poverty, sin, infirmity, etc.) to be alleviated according to one's powers; c) according as it is a charitable will of alleviating another's misery, and then it is not a virtue distinct from charity, and mercy thus taken is found most perfectly in God,⁴³ who is compassionate and merciful.

Mercy according as it is a special virtue moderates compassion concerning another's misery, lest it be too great and lest it be too little. But although this mercy is a moral virtue insofar as it moderates compassion, nevertheless it is intimately joined with the theological virtue of charity, from which it is accustomed to arise as an effect. For on account of God the merciful man is accustomed to have compassion on his suffering neighbor. Accordingly St. Thomas treats of mercy in the treatise on charity.

Christian doctrine greatly commends⁴⁴ the virtue and works of charitable mercy, and wherever the Christian religion flourishes, magnificent works of mercy also are produced.

Seven corporal works of mercy and the same number of spiritual works are commonly enumerated; namely, the corporal works of mercy are: to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to receive guests, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, to redeem captives, to bury the dead. All these indeed are commonly expressed by this mnemonic verse:

I visit, I give drink, I feed, I redeem, I cover, I gather, I bury.

The spiritual works of mercy are: to correct the sinner, to teach the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, to console the afflicted, to bear the burdensome and difficult, to forgive the offender, and to pray for all. These are contained in this verse:

Counsel, reprove, teach, console, forgive, bear, pray.

Errors concerning mercy. Although the virtue of mercy is inculcated by the natural law itself, nevertheless by many pagans, ancient and modern, it is denied or contemned. Thus Seneca himself says: "Mercy is a vice of the soul," "most familiar to every worst man." "The good will avoid mercy." "The wise man will not pity."⁴⁵ In our times F. Nietzsche, asserting a twofold morality, one of masters, the other of servants, excluded mercy from the morality of masters.⁴⁶ On the contrary Schopenhauer and Ad. Smith exaggerated mercy too much, proclaiming it the ultimate norm of morality.⁴⁷

Because of circumstances much changed in our times and in our regions, certain enumerated works of mercy now can be exercised only very rarely, e.g. to redeem captives, to bury the dead. Hence here we treat only of two works of mercy, namely, almsgiving and fraternal correction, to which all the others can be reduced.

⁴¹ German: Mitleid.

⁴² Cf. S. theol. 2, 2, q. 30, a. 3.

⁴³ Cf. ib. 1, q. 21, a. 3.

⁴⁴ See the beautiful treatise "On the commendation of mercy," written by Guil. Peraldus, O.Pr. (Summ. virt. et vitior. I, pars 14, c. 2 [ed. Venet. 1571, p. 535 sqq.]).

⁴⁵ Cf. Weiss, Apologie III 807.

⁴⁶ Cf. Jenseits von Gut und Bose c. 9.

⁴⁷ Cf. Cathrein, Moralphilosophie I 259.