Saturday, June 10, 2006

Q21 A3: Whether mercy can be attributed to God?

Yes. Mercy is especially to be attributed to God, as seen in its effect, but not as an affection of passion because a person is said to be merciful [misericors], as being, so to speak, sorrowful at heart [miserum cor] (i.e., being affected with sorrow at the misery of another as though it were his own) and hence it follows that he endeavors to dispel the misery of this other, as if it were his: and this is the effect of mercy.

To sorrow, therefore, over the misery of others belongs not to God; but it does most properly belong to Him to dispel that misery, whatever be the defect we call by that name.

The communicating of perfections, absolutely considered, appertains to goodness, as shown above (Q6, A1, A4); insofar as perfections are given to things in proportion, the bestowal of them belongs to justice, as has been already said (Q21, A1); insofar as God does not bestow them for His own use, but only on account of His goodness, it belongs to liberality; insofar as perfections given to things by God expel defects, it belongs to mercy.