Mercy: 'the personal face of the only God we know' - Helena O'Donoghue (The Congregation)

'Mercy is often seen as an "extra", an optional addendum to justice, and not really required for moral conduct. Commonly, it is seen as weak, sentimental, and even a place of peril.

To be at the mercy of the elements or of the ECB*, or of intruders is not a comfortable place to be. We live in that culture and are tainted by it. While we know that mercy is not a shortcut to quick forgiveness, nor an easy escape from accountability, we can often see it as a sharing of surplus resources or a light response to wrongdoing. We think of it as a kind attitude, a particular gift, or a characteristic of a good person or even of a good God. But mercy is more than all these concepts; it is divine size and is the personal face of the only God we know, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the very "glory" of God shining on the face of Christ...'

Read the complete article here (4pps; PDF).
First published in the April 2016 issue of  The Furrow. Republished with permission.

Messages to: Helena O'Donoghue rsm

Editor: An edited version of this article appears on The Congregation website here
Sr Helena contributed an article on the theme of Mercy as Service in the MIA Year of Consecrated Life (YCL) series. Read that article online here.
Access the complete YCL series in PDF here: A4 Paper Size; US Letter Size

* European Central Bank

Image: iStock. Used under licence