Duties

Seven Corporal Works of Mercy

Seven practical duties addressing hunger, thirst, clothing, shelter, sickness, imprisonment and burial.

Tradition or school: Christianity
Framework type: Duties
Authority classification: Denominational
Observance: Recommended
Research status: Published and reviewed
Origin period: Biblical foundations with later Christian seven-item systematisation
Origin region: Christian Europe and the wider Church
Attributed origin: Traditional Catholic synthesis, drawing especially on Matthew 25 and Tobit
Intended audience: Catholics and other Christians who adopt the works-of-mercy tradition
Published constituent items: 7
Last reviewed: 28 June 2026

Primary texts and authority

Six works are closely associated with Matthew 25:35–36. Burial of the dead draws especially on Tobit and longstanding Christian practice.

Feed the Hungry

Provide adequate food to people who lack it.

Positive duty or instruction · Strong duty
Give Drink to the Thirsty

Provide safe water and drink to those without adequate access.

Positive duty or instruction · Strong duty
Clothe the Naked

Provide suitable clothing and protection to those who lack it.

Positive duty or instruction · Strong duty
Shelter the Homeless

Provide safe accommodation and welcome to people without secure shelter.

Positive duty or instruction · Strong duty
Visit and Care for the Sick

Give presence, assistance and care to people who are ill.

Positive duty or instruction · Strong duty
Visit and Support Prisoners

Recognise the humanity and needs of people who are imprisoned.

Positive duty or instruction · Strong duty
Bury the Dead

Treat human remains and bereaved communities with dignity and care.

Positive duty or instruction · Strong duty

The works were organised into a standard seven-item catechetical list during Christian history.

Modern lists may phrase shelter as welcoming strangers or housing the homeless.

The works make compassion concrete through direct material assistance.

Charity can relieve immediate need while leaving the structures causing poverty, imprisonment or homelessness unchallenged.

The works protect basic human needs. Their strongest modern application combines immediate aid with prevention and institutional reform.

Comparison

Which parts of religious and philosophical codes may support universal ethics, and which depend on specific belief.