Mercy: A Devotional

Everyone needs mercy because everyone faces questions of justice. And everyone needs to be merciful because, as Shakespeare says, it is a virtue that is “twice blest”/It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” Shakespeare also identifies mercy as “an attribute of God himself.” The Psalms say God’s mercy “endures forever.” As a virtue, mercy encompasses other virtues such as compassion, kindness, generosity, and gentleness. It is also a gift of grace and love. This devotional explores the virtue of mercy and its essential place in human and divine relationships.