Mercy and Judgement

'Τοῦ ἐλέους Κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ.  Ἐνταῦθα διέζευκται ἀπὸ τῆς κρίσεως ὁ ἔλεος. Μόνου γὰρ τοῦ ἐλέους Κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ, τῆς κρίσεως εἰς τὸν ὡρισμένον καιρὸν ταμιευθείσης. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν ἔλεός ἐστι χωρὶς κρίσεως· οὐ γὰρ ἦλθεν ἴνα κρίνῇ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ’ ἵνα σώσῃ τὸν κόσμον. Ἐκεί δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ κρίσις χωρίς ἐλέους, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἄνθρωπον καθαρὸν εὐρεθῆναι ἀπὸ ῥύπου, μηδὲ ἐὰν μὶα ἡμέρα ᾖ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε ἐάν τις ἴδῃ τὴν κακίαν ὁσημέραι νεμομένην, καὶ τὸ ἐπίκηρον γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄξιον μυρίων θανάτων, ὅσον ἐπι τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τυγχανον, θαυμάσει τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας. Ἐν τῇ γῇ μέντοι ὄντες τοῦ ἐλέους χρήζομεν. Οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τοῦ μακαρίζεσθαι εἰσιν, ἀλλ’ οὐχὶ τοῦ ἐλεεῖσθαι ἄξιοι. Ἥ τάχα διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῖν ἐπενεγθεῖσαν καταδίκην γῆ λεγόμεθα ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ. Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ· οἵ πλήρεις ἐσμὲν τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ· Νεκροὺς γὰρ ὄντας ἡμᾶς ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις καὶ τοῖς παραπτώμασιν ἐλεήσας ὁ Θεὸς συνεζωοποίησε τῷ χριστῷ. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΒ’

'The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.' Here mercy is distinguished from judgement. For only the mercy of the Lord fills the earth, judgement having been assigned to a time reserved. Here, then, there is mercy without judgement, for he did not come to judge the world but to save it. Here, then, there is not judgement without mercy, else man would not be able to free himself from filth, not even if he were but one day from birth.Thus if someone knew what evil were done every day,  the mortal race of man being worthy of a thousand deaths by reason of his crimes, he would be amazed at the richness of God's goodness, his patience and his clemency. While on the earth we should be merciful, for there are not any who are blessed in heaven but those who were merciful. Else indeed  condemnation would fall upon us swiftly because of sin done on earth and we would be told what we have had heard from God: 'Dust you are, and to dust you shall go '. However, we are full of the mercy of God; for dead in our sins and errors the merciful God has brought us back to life in Christ. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 32