God is love. God is just. God is merciful.

[Michael B]

Boru. The way I see it is that mercy must always start from a position of justice. Without justice, mercy means nothing. So mercy is a layer on top of justice, or as Shakespeare so poetically put it, 'mercy seasons justice'. Justice starts with an eye for an eye, a life for a life. Mercy then seasons that justice and gives a new opportunity, especially to those who genuinely want to live a new life. I think we can see that layering of mercy on top of justice in our penal justice systems, certainly here in the UK.

Here is Shakespeare' beautiful soliloquy from Portia, appealing to Shylock to show mercy to Antonio for a debt he has secured with his life (a pound of flesh, to be cut form close to the heart). Shakespeare says it so much better than me...

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.