There’s nothing that kills love more effectively than indifference. If you think about it, even anger or sorrow shows that a person is emotionally invested and cares, even imperfectly. But indifference? That’s a refusal to engage at all. It’s an emotionless detachment that says, “This isn’t my problem.” That kind of apathy is dangerous, not only to others but to our souls.
I remember a conversation with someone hurt by someone’s lack of charity. She vented about the injustice, the pain, and how it affected her, yet concluded abruptly, “But I don’t care anymore. I’ve moved on.” I challenged her, “Your emotions tell me otherwise.” What she felt wasn’t indifference but woundedness. Indifference toward moral and social issues—like poverty, injustice, or the dignity of human life—is even more dangerous. It numbs the soul. It blinds us to the suffering of others. Scripture speaks to this in Revelation 3:15–16:
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm…. I will spit you out of my mouth.”
The Church equips us with powerful weapons to counter spiritual numbness: the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. These concrete actions reawaken our hearts to love, moving us from apathy to mercy and compassion.
The Corporal Works of Mercy are ways we care for the physical needs of others:
1. Feed the Hungry – Donate to food banks, serve at soup kitchens, share a meal with someone in need, or foster a child.
2. Give Drink to the Thirsty – Support clean water initiatives, distribute water to the homeless, or foster a child.
3. Clothe the Naked – Give clothes no longer needed to shelter or foster care organizations.
4. Shelter the Homeless – Volunteer at or support housing ministries. Be conscious of children without a parent and help fill that role in their lives.
5. Visit the Sick – Spend time with those in hospitals or nursing homes, cook for the sick and injured, or clean someone’s house if they can’t.
6. Visit the Imprisoned – Write to inmates, support prison ministry, or pray for those incarcerated.
7. Bury the Dead – Attend funerals, rosaries, offer Masses for the dead, or help with funeral arrangements.
These acts are rooted in Matthew 25:40:
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
The Spiritual Works of Mercy meet the emotional and spiritual needs of others: A necessary distinction: judging actions vs. pronouncing judgment. I ask my students, “Are we called to judge people’s actions as right or wrong?” Yes! We must form our conscience and speak the Truth. But then I ask, “Can we pronounce judgment—deciding if someone is going to heaven or hell?” Absolutely not. That’s God’s job.
1. Instruct the Ignorant – Share the faith with someone seeking truth or struggling with doubt.
2. Counsel the Doubtful – Encourage someone battling despair or confusion with wisdom and hope.
3. Admonish the Sinner – Lovingly correct someone straying from Truth with humility and mercy.
4. Bear Wrongs Patiently – Forgive without retaliation and endure suffering with grace.
5. Forgive Offenses Willingly – Let go of grudges and model the mercy God shows to us.
6. Comfort the Afflicted – Be a steady, listening presence for those in grief, pain, or fear.
7. Pray for the Living and the Dead – Offer daily intercessions, especially for those who have no one to pray for them.
CCC 2447 emphasizes that spiritual and corporal mercy is essential to Christian life.
Each act of mercy is a chance to love with our whole heart. It’s keeping faith alive and our conscience awake. One last reminder. When asking someone what we can do to help, sometimes they don’t know, or it’s difficult to receive help. “What day can I bring dinner to you?” is better than “Let me know what you need.” The first response signals intention and desire and is easier to accept.
Let us pray not to be lukewarm in our love or indifferent in our actions but fully alive disciples ready to serve through works of mercy in action.
Maria Stewart, SFA Theologian Guild Member