Justice - grace - mercy

[Vico]

A short while ago (a few days or weeks) someone quoted a priest, who said:

Justice is when you get what you deserve.
Grace is when you get what you DON’T deserve.
Mercy is when you DON’T get what you deserve.

I think it is an excellent summary. Your immediate thoughts? And your thoughts after you contemplated these propositions?

Expressed as giving they are:

Justice is the constant and permanent determination to give everyone his or her rightful due.
Grace is the free benevolent supernatural gift that God bestows on rational creatures for their eternal salvation.
Mercy is the disposition to be kind and forgiving; the ready willingness to help anyone in need, especially pardon or reconciliation.

See: Modern Catholic Dictionary

 

[o_mlly]

I’m not sure I like how justice and mercy seem mutually exclusive in that example. Perhaps it makes a good quick summary, but I don’t think it captures the reality of the situation.

I think you are correct. Existentially (onto) we experience mercy first; intellectually (epsito) we must always know justice first.

Search on “justice mercy Peter Kreeft” for an excellent presentation. Spoiler Alert for those with ADD: ~ 1.5 hours.