42. What Is Mercy?

"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." - Luke 6:36

Mercy is the compassionate love by which God helps the miserable and forgives the repentant, and by which Christians help the suffering and call sinners back to Him. A beginner must learn mercy because the word is often corrupted into permission for sin.

The catechism answer is simple: Mercy is charity moved by another's misery, seeking to relieve suffering, forgive injuries, and bring sinners back to God.

Mercy is not weakness. Mercy is love acting toward misery in truth.

The question is not, "How can sin be made comfortable?" It is, "How can the sinner be saved?"

False mercy leaves the sinner in chains. True mercy calls him out of sin, binds wounds, forgives the contrite, feeds the hungry, comforts the sorrowful, instructs the ignorant, and admonishes the sinner.

Mercy desires healing, not concealment.

God's mercy is seen most perfectly in Christ. He came to seek and save what was lost. He forgave sinners, healed the sick, taught the ignorant, and died for His enemies.

But Christ also commanded repentance. He did not tell sinners to remain as they were.

The Cross shows the cost of mercy. Sin required the Blood of the Lamb.

Christians must forgive injuries. This means surrendering hatred, revenge, and the desire to damn the offender.

Forgiveness does not always remove consequences, duties of justice, or the need for boundaries. A forgiven wrong may still need correction, restitution, or protection of the innocent.

Forgiveness belongs to charity. It is not denial of truth.

Mercy is practiced through corporal and spiritual works. The body may need food, drink, clothing, shelter, care in sickness, visitation, or burial. The soul may need instruction, counsel, correction, comfort, patience, forgiveness, or prayer.

The spiritual works are often neglected because they require courage.

To admonish the sinner can be a work of mercy when done rightly.

Mercy calls the sinner to conversion. It does not flatter the wound. A doctor who refuses to name disease is not merciful.

The soul must learn to receive mercy by confession, contrition, and amendment. It must also learn to give mercy without approving sin.

Mercy opens the door home. It does not move the house into the far country.

The soul must learn that mercy comes from God.

The soul must learn to forgive without calling evil good.

The soul must learn the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

The soul must learn that correction can be merciful.

The soul must learn that mercy calls to conversion.

Mercy is charity moved by another's misery, seeking to relieve suffering, forgive injuries, and bring sinners back to God.

A beginner should ask: Do I seek mercy in confession? Do I forgive injuries? Do I help bodily and spiritual misery? Do I confuse mercy with permission for sin? Do I call souls toward conversion?

Mercy is one of the great lights of the Gospel. It does not hide sin in darkness. It brings the sinner to Christ.