The Fundamental Importance Of The Corporal Works Of Mercy

By DONALD DeMARCO

Sr. Deirdre Byrne, POSC, made an enlightened and most encouraging presentation on August 26 at the Republican National Convention. It has reminded us of something of critical importance that our nation as a whole seems to have nearly forgotten. Sr. Dede, as she is affectionately called, mentioned her 29-year stint in the United States army as a surgeon working in Afghanistan and in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. She also noted her work serving the poor and the sick in Haiti, Kenya, Sudan, Iraq, and in Washington, D.C.
The religious order of which she is a member is the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. In her humility, she calmly and quietly presented herself as a role model in ministering to others in need, the “Seven Corporal Works of Mercy.”
To the secular mindset the most important work is performed by the most important people. And yet, the United States government, with all its power and sophistication, is helpless in abolishing the continued violence that plagues the nation. The government, however, is not involved in the person-to-person acts of corporal mercy. The government can legislate but it cannot love. It can suggest, but it cannot solve, counsel but not cure.
And now, the National Basketball Association is taking its turn in trying to put an end to violence, especially against African-Americans. It has proliferated the slogan “Black Lives Matter” everywhere it can, on court floors, on uniforms, throughout broadcasts of games, and even when players boycott the games. Some players nonetheless have expressed disappointment, even despondency, because they realize that these slogans fail to end violence. Why would they think that they would? Isn’t this delusional? Christianity has been working for more than 2,000 years to end violence between people. Why would the NBA succeed where Christianity has failed?
But Christianity has not exactly failed. It has succeeded wherever Christians have ministered to others directly through any of the first five of the seven corporal works of mercy. But where, one might ask, is the most ordinary and effective venue in which these works are transmitted? The answer, which should be an obviosity, despite its neglect, is the family.
When a child comes into the world, he is in critical need of food, drink, clothing, shelter, and treatments for any illness. In other words, he needs these first five of the corporal works of mercy. Mom and Dad are their indispensable ministers. The broken family, particularly the fatherless family, is the source of no end of social problems.
David Blankenhorn has provided us with compelling evidence in his critical study, Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem, that fatherlessness is the most harmful trend of the current generation. He cites it as “the leading cause of the declining well-being of children; the engine driving our most critical social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to child sexual abuse to domestic violence against women.”
Such warnings, however, go largely unheeded and are casually dismissed as tradition-bound, or ultra-conservative. A number of black leaders have pointed out how important it is for fathers to teach their sons discipline and concern for others. Slogans cannot replace fathers, even if they are presented under the auspices of the National Basketball Association. Yet it is politically incorrect to talk about the importance of fathers, as well as the works of corporal mercy.
Godfried Cardinal Danneels has asked whether “this feverish search for all sorts of communities, large and small — could have anything to do with the obliteration of the Father? Is universal brotherhood possible in the absence of a common Father?” (Handing on the Faith in an Age of Disbelief).
The key word here is “feverish.” For the Belgian cardinal, it implies a kind of desperation. There cannot be brotherhood without fatherhood; and there cannot be social justice without the moral lessons that are passed on from parents to children within the context of a loving family.
Everyone wants reform. But the genesis of social reform is in the family. The NBA and other sports organizations want immediate results. But there is no magic wand that will reform society in an instant. Black Lives Matter organizers, oddly enough, are opposed to the nuclear family. Therefore, they are opposed to the most important place in which the corporal works of mercy are expressed. In Portland, Ore., and in other cities, protesters are tearing up Bibles and burning the American flag.
These actions are inevitably counterproductive. The desire for immediacy represents an attitude of desperation.
The project of reforming society begins with the family. This requires a long period of time. But the start of this moral evolution is set back by those who demand an instant solution. There can be some small improvements at the edges, but the essential work, the formation of morally responsible human beings, belongs to the nuclear family.
Sr. Dede calmly urges us to take the right path, that of administering the corporal works of mercy to people who are in need. She stated in her address that because the basic virtue of her order is humility, she cannot say much about her life. However, we can read between the lines. She stands impressively against all the pride and pomp of politicians and political pundits.
She is telling us what is needed and urges us to follow Christ. The corporal works of mercy must not be ignored; they must be implemented. If there must be slogans, let the reigning one be — “Family Values Matter.”

• + + (Dr. Donald DeMarco is professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University, and an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College & Seminary. He is a regular columnist for the St. Austin Review. He is the author of 37 books. His latest five books, How To Navigate through Life, Apostles of the Culture of Life, Why I Am Pro-Life and Not Politically Correct, A Moral Compass for a World in Confusion, and Reflections on the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Search for Understanding and are all available through amazon.com.)