What is the virtue of mercy?

Mercy is the virtue of forgiveness. It is the decision to stop hating and to renounce vengeance. It is about your choice, not their choice. Mercy does not nullify the evil, and it does not give up the fight against evil; it is your refusal to be drawn into evil, to add to the hate, or to continue the violence. read more

For St. Thomas this virtue has two aspects: "affective" mercy and "effective" mercy. Affective mercy is an emotion: the pity we feel for the plight of another. In this respect, St. Thomas says, human mercy is grounded in a "defect" in our nature: the defect of human vulnerability to suffering. read more

Saint Thomas Aquinas lists Three (3) 'Effects' which flow from the Virtue of Charity, namely, Joy (Fruit), Peace (Fruit), and the Virtue of Mercy . We are concerned here only with the Third 'Effect'. Charity is a Unitive Force, uniting us with both God and Neighbor. read more

Mercy frees the giver of mercy from rumination and allows their mind to be free to move on to more productive thinking. Mercy also ends the cycles of hate for the receiver of Mercy. Mercy liberates both people involved and that is the virtue of Mercy. read more