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.
