Chapter 3: In the Light of the Master
I would like to reiterate that mercy does not exclude justice and truth; indeed, “we have to say that mercy is the fullness of justice and the most radiant manifestation of God’s truth. It is the key to heaven.”
Here I think of St. Thomas (Aquinas), who asked which actions of ours are noblest, which external works best show our love for God. Thomas answered unhesitatingly that they are the works of mercy toward our neighbor even more than our acts of worship.
St. Teresa of Calcutta clearly realized this: “Yes, I have many faults and failures… But God bends down and uses us , you and me, to be his love and his compassion in the world; he bears our sins, our troubles, and our faults. He depends on us to love the world and show how much he loves it.”