 I recently read a magnificent book which was more than a lovely story, but rather it contained numerous insights which led to some thought and reflection. There were many scenes which were beautiful particularly because they pointed to God, some obviously and some not so overtly, but which nevertheless spoke of the spiritual. One scene involved a young, single father, Kendrick, who along with his own mother, Grandmother Whitaker, was raising his little girl. Kendrick’s wife was killed in a car crash that also injured his daughter who was now struggling to recover from a serious leg injury. At the point where Kendrick was faced with meeting the ‘perpetrator’ of the wreck, Grandmother Whitaker gave this advice: “Baby, they’s justice and they’s mercy. If you not sure what to do and you gotta choose one or the other, I say always go the mercy way. If you make a mistake, make it for mercy. Bad mercy don’t hurt nearly like bad justice, and always remember, the eye of God can see.” *  It is true that there are times when justice is done as it should be, and there are times when there has been failed justice (injustice), hence good and bad justice. But can mercy be good and bad? I think what the author was getting at through the character of Grandmother Whitaker was that it is better to offer mercy when in doubt then to be harsh and unbending. While justice relies on ‘the facts’ and on actions, mercy often relies on the heart. Therefore, a lack of mercy is part of an inner disposition and can leave deep scars on both parties. While it is better to err on the side of mercy, we do need both. Justice without mercy is harsh and cruel, and mercy without justice creates anarchy and becomes utterly chaotic; one tempers and guides the other. Truly, the most demanding mercy is about acting with love toward someone who does not seem to deserve it. To act with mercy then, is to act with justice. That is, to be merciful is just insofar as it is what love demands.  Of course, this is the way of God who is a just judge and whose mercy is unending. Both of these attributes of God are incomprehensible because we do not have His wisdom, nor do we see as He sees. If we live as Jesus taught, when life is over we will be far more prepared for the just judgment that will come from God regarding how we had lived because it will be tempered by His fathomless ocean of mercy. There must be justice: without it we will fall into the thinking that everything is okay, that there is no sin, and that everything is ‘about me and my own truth.’ Nothing can be further from the message of Jesus than that attitude. Justice ensures an understanding of right and wrong, and that we recognize the strong pull of sin into which we fall often, but that in the end, our God who is Love will mete out His justice which will be tempered with His mercy. If we ask forgiveness, rely on the power of His grace to grow in holiness, trusting in His mercy, we have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to with Him in Heaven forever.  Perhaps what Grandmother Whitaker was referring to is that we should refrain from going overboard with undiscerned mercy. It is not merciful to enable another person in bad behavior by keeping quiet in the face of sin so as not to appear ‘judgmental;’ we are not offering mercy in our lack of confrontation, but rather, we are encouraging sinfulness. Often, we do not want to hurt someone’s feelings, or we lack the courage to stand against an immoral or sinful behavior, and thus, we remain silent, inadvertently continuing to support the behavior through our fear of offending. However, to speak up against harmful actions or behavior in a kind, but firm way is not only what we are supposed to do, but it is actually one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy.** Remember, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees not because He was superior to them, but because He loved them! In His love, He tried to teach them that their behaviors were often misguided. Even with harsh words, going as far as driving out the money changers in the Temple with a whip made of cord, Jesus did these things to warn them that what they were doing was moving themselves (and others) far from God. That is why we can correctly say that Jesus displayed righteous anger when He did that.  To live justly means we love God: we want to do that which pleases Him, and no matter how difficult it is to understand, we will do as He teaches simply because we know He loves us, and therefore, we want to respond with love. To live mercifully means that we are becoming more and more like Jesus and that His love is flowing through us. However, we must always pray for the wisdom which comes from the Holy Spirit so that we learn when and how to be both just and merciful. As God said through the prophet Micah: “You have been told, O mortal, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness [mercy] and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) If we can learn how to really hear these words deep within our hearts, learn from them, and therefore respond, we will have learned how to align our heart with the Heart of Jesus. We will have grown holy.  May we love justice without being judgmental! May we love mercy, discerning rightly how to offer it to others! And may we be filled with gratitude for both the justice and mercy of God! Let us meet in the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Peace!
©Michele L. Catanese NOTE: For those interested, I recommend an essay which dealt with the importance of literature, even that which we might call bad literature: The Theological Value of Fiction by Robert Lazu Kmita. https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2025/06/20/the-theological-value-of-fiction/?utm_source=The+Catholic+Thing+Daily&utm_campaign=aec38af3f1-DAILY_6_19_2025_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_769a14e16a-aec38af3f1-619630970&mc_cid=aec38af3f1&mc_eid=e925af5318 * The book to which I am referring, and from which the quote comes, is Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi. ** The Spiritual Works of Mercy are to admonish the sinner, instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowful, bear wrongs patiently, forgive all injuries, and to pray for the living and the dead. Here is a good article which gives more information on them. https://media.ascensionpress.com/2020/04/29/serving-the-spirit-of-others-spiritual-works-of-mercy/#:~:text=The%20seven%20spiritual%20actions%20of,the%20living%20and%20the%20dead. Images: 1. My photo; Grizzly Giant, a giant Sequoia tree in Mariposa Grove, California. 2. Painting; The Good Samaritan, by James Tissot. 3. My photo; the ocean from a beach on Grand Cayman. 4. Icon; Christ All Merciful by Fr. William Hart McNichols. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, you can find it at fineartamerica.com/featured/christ-all-merciful-022-william-hart-mcnichols.html 5. Fresco painting; St. Francis Gives His Cloak to A Begger, by Giotto. 6. My photo; roadside flowers in Yosemite National Park. My thought here was of the harshness of justice (rocks) tempered by the softness of mercy (flowers). Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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