Mercy And Justice

Beati misericordes, quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur... Quia per solam justitiam nullus ad alta ascendere potest, nisi iter faciat nobis Deus, plus quam justum sit, per misericordiam suam; ideo misericordia Dei acquirenda est, quae suppleat quod nostra justitia non potest adipisci. Quomodo autem illa acquiri possit, dat consilium cum dicit: Estote misericordes, quia pater vester misericors est. Ecce via qua ad misericordiam Dei pervenitur, si misericordes efficimur. Oportet ergo misericordiam addere justitiae, ut non solum faciamus proximo quod justum est, sed etiam plus quam justum. Misericordiam habet duas partes, dare et dimittere. Unde dicitur: Date et dabitur vobis, dimittite et dimittetur vobis. Hae duae virtutes ita conjunctae sunt, ut altera ab altera contemperari debeat. Justitia sine misericordia crudelitas est; misericordia sine justitia dissolutio est. Rebelles corrigere ex justitia; poenitentibus condonare debemus ex misericordia. Sed quia alii plus quam alii exercentur in justitia quam in misericordia; alii plus in misericordia, quam in justitia: ideo isti dicuntur beati propter misericordiam, illi propter justitiam, cum tamen non dissocientur. Haec misericordia postulatur, cum dicitur: Fiat voluntas tua in nobis, scilicet ut misericordes simus, ut aliis condonemus. Nam haec est voluntas Dei, haec descendit ex spiritu consilii. Hoc enim est consilium, quod nobis datur, si misericordiam Dei adipisci volumus, misericordiam aliis faciamus. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput V Source: Migne PL 162.1287b-d

Blessed are the merciful because they shall receive mercy... 1 Because no one is able to rise up to the heights by justice alone, unless God makes a way for us with more than what is just, through His mercy. Therefore the mercy of God must be acquired, which supplements what our justice is not able to obtain. And He gives counsel about how one can acquire it when He says: 'Be merciful, as your Father in heaven is merciful.' 2 Behold the way by which we come to the mercy of God, if we are merciful. One must, then, add mercy to justice, that not only do we act justily to our neighbour, but we are even more than just. Mercy has two parts, to give and to forgive. Whence it is said: 'Give and it shall be given to you. Forgive and you shall be forgiven.' 3 So it is that these two virtues are joined, even that the one by the other should be moderated. Justice without mercy becomes cruelty, mercy without justice is laxity. The rebellious are corrected by justice, by mercy we should forgive the penitent. But because some more than others exert themselves in justice more than mercy, and others in mercy more than justice, therefore the latter are blessed on account of mercy, the former on account of justice, when however they should not be separated. This mercy is requested, when it is said, 'May your will be in us,' 4 that is, so that we may be merciful, so that we may forgive others. For this is the will of God, this comes down from spiritual counsel. And this is the counsel which is given to us, that if we wish to obtain mercy, we should be merciful to others. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.7 2 Lk 6.36 3 Lk 6.37-38 4 cf Mt 6.10