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On Divine Mercy
“God is inherently kind, naturally compassionate, and everlastingly merciful.” — Paper 2:4.1
“The mercy of God is not that indulgent leniency which would pamper and spoil the children of time. Mercy is not a passive attitude of sympathy; it is an active program of loving favor.” — Paper 2:4.5
“Divine forgiveness is inevitable; it is inherent and inalienable in God’s infinite understanding, in his perfect knowledge of all that concerns the mistaken judgment and erroneous choosing of the child.” — Paper 2:4.1
“God as a Father transcends God as a judge. The Father never angrily punishes his erring children.” — Paper 2:6.6
“The mercy of God is infinite; the love of the Father is never-ending. When man asks for mercy, he shall receive mercy.” — Paper 28:6.7
On Forgiving Others
“When a wise man understands the inner impulses of his fellows, he will love them. And when you love your brother, you have already forgiven him.” — Paper 174:1.5
“Forgiveness does not have to be sought, only received as the consciousness of re-establishment of loyalty relations between the creature and the Creator.” — Paper 89:10.6
“Freely you have received the good things of the kingdom; freely give.” — Paper 140:9.2
“Jesus taught that sin is not the child of a defective nature but rather the offspring of a knowing mind dominated by an unsubmissive will.” — Paper 148:4.6
“How many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? And Jesus said: Not only seven times but even to seventy times and seven.” — Paper 159:1.4
On Forgiveness and Love
“Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness, the essence of the true and the beautiful.” — Paper 192:2.1
“If you learn to love only those who love you, you are destined to live a narrow and circumscribed life.” — Paper 156:5.11
“The Father’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows.” — Paper 117:6.10
“To forgive is not merely to forget; true forgiveness is the positive attitude of love that replaces the condemned motive with a higher and better one.” — Paper 170:2.23
“Your inability or unwillingness to forgive your fellows is the measure of your immaturity, your failure to attain adult sympathy, understanding, and love.” — Paper 174:1.5
On Mercy and Justice
“Mercy is simply justice tempered by that wisdom which grows out of perfection of knowledge and the full recognition of the natural weaknesses and environmental handicaps of finite creatures.” — Paper 2:4.1
“Justice is the collective thought of righteousness; mercy is its personal expression.” — Paper 10:6.18
“In the dispensing of justice the Trinitarian courts of the universe will always render a dual verdict — one based on the facts and circumstances and another which takes into account the intent and motive.” — Paper 10:6.18
“God the Father judges the creature through his many representatives; but God the Son is the final arbiter of all mercy determinations.” — Paper 33:7.8
“Mercy is the natural and inevitable offspring of goodness and love. The good nature of a loving Father could not possibly withhold the wise ministry of mercy to each member and every group of his universe children.” — Paper 2:4.4
Related Entities
Jesus of Nazareth
The Master teacher of forgiveness, who demonstrated unlimited mercy in his life and teachings.
Universal Father
The source of all divine mercy, whose forgiveness is inherent and inalienable.
Mercy
The divine attribute that tempers justice with wisdom, love, and compassionate understanding.