“Mercy expresses God’s sovereignty. God is not like a judge or a public servant, who justly applies the law established by a higher authority. In this process, he does not proceed in an arbitrary fashion; rather, he acts according to his own loving kindness. Mercy is not opposed to justice. Mercy does not suspend justice; rather, mercy transcends it; mercy is the fulfillment of justice.”—Yves Congar
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When humans deal with seeking justice it can be a long drawn out affair. Often human justice can be harsher than it needs to be. At other times it can be too lenient. So even when we do our best, still, justice is carried out less than would be believed. Justice means to balance things out, to right wrongs and to be even handed through it all. Yet how can this been done when we can never really see to the bottom of the matter.
So human justice is something desired but feared as well. The man who is judge has a deep responsibility to be impartial and fair, yet how often does that happen?
To know all is to forgive all. We can’t do that. Also forgiveness doesn’t not take away from personal responsibility. So in our law courts there is a battle to decide if the one convicted is guilty, and if all the proper procedures have been carried out so that a fair hearing can be had. If not, then one who is known to be guilty is set free.
With God and with us, when we ‘stand’ before God, judgment is instant, true, and the one judged agrees with it totally. For all is seen, yet judgment is not without mercy, for God sees all and understands each of us fully and that is why mercy is always present.
However the experience of mercy, or to receive it is not a passive experience, but one that has to be embraced and the willingness to allow its healing power to work….God is yes as is shown in Christ Jesus, who is God’s yes. We are free to say no, such is our dignity and worth before God. Yet the mercy of God is something beyond our understanding, as is the work of grace in the souls of men and woman. We are not called to judge anyone at the level that only God sees and understands with compassion and mercy. Something sad to say can be lacking in the human heart.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
