Year of Mercy

To forgive offenses is one of the seven spiritual works of mercy. It is also variously known as to “forgive all injuries” and to “forgive sins.”

Final installment in a 14-part series highlighting local Catholics who live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

The corporal works of mercy deal with care for a person’s bodily needs. Food and water stand at the top of the list, and clothing comes right behind (see Sir 29:21). Jesus described this merciful work as “naked and you clothed me” (Mt 25:36). Nakedness can mean nudity, the complete lack of clothing, but more often it means partial or inadequate clothing. Destitute is a synonym for nakedness because it usually is caused by extreme poverty.

Tiny handmade hats, gowns and cloth diapers fill an entire room of Christelle Hagen’s workshop. The soft material is fitting for any newborn. But these garments are made for the frailest of babies — those whose parents must clothe them for burial rather than home.

To admonish the sinner is one of the seven spiritual works of mercy, and like the other six, it is concerned with the spiritual well-being of another.

More than 100 quotes typewritten on yellow sheets of paper are taped to the walls of John Buri’s cramped basement office at the University of St. Thomas.
They contain a wealth of information that has guided him over decades as a psychology professor at the St. Paul school. One of the quotes stands out. It is from the New Testament. It is the only one made into a plaque, done so as a gift from a group of longtime friends who know how ardently and passionately he works to encourage others in their spiritual lives.

The seventh corporal work of mercy is to bury the dead. It is different from the other six because it is not given by Jesus with his set of judgment criteria (Mt 25:35-36), but was added later to round out the list to the biblical number of seven. Also, it isn’t directed to the bodily needs of someone who is living, but rather to the body of someone who has died.

Deacon Joe Kittok digs holes for a living. He spends an hour and a half several times a week removing about 4 cubic yards of dirt, which he takes to his 35-acre property in Delano and spills onto the ground. He gets $400 per hole, which adds up to a decent living.