Thomas More, Thomas Aquinas and Christ Jesus on mercy being a potential part of the virtue of justice: Yikes!

One of the interrogation scenes with Saint Thomas More:

More: “You threaten like a dockside bully.”

Cromwell: “How should I threaten?”

More: “Like a minister of State, with justice.”

Cromwell: “Oh! Justice is what you’re threatened with!”

More: “Then I am not threatened.”

The provision of justice is the provision of mercy. More was a lawyer, so let’s turn to a theologian for some precision:

I love how the Angelic Doctor has it that mercy is a potential part of the virtue of justice. In other words, if there is no justice, there is no mercy possible. Those who avoid being just with others necessarily avoid being merciful to others. Here’s the whole paragraph for context:

Super Sent., lib. 3 d. 33 q. 3 a. 4 qc. 1 co.

Respondeo dicendum ad primam quaestionem, quod justitia in hoc differt a temperantia et fortitudine, quod illae moderant passiones intrinsecas, sed justitia moderat extrinsecas operationes: unde philosophus dicit, circa operationes justitiam esse. In adulterio enim, secundum quod est contra justitiam, attenditur usus inordinatus, scilicet rei alienae; secundum autem quod opponitur temperantiae, attenditur concupiscentia non refrenata sub debito rationis. Moderatio autem actionum exteriorum ex duobus regulatur. Primo per comparationem operationis ad ipsum operantem; et sic ejusdem rationis est et regulatio exteriorum operationum et interiorum passionum, quae ad exteriores inclinant operationes. Alio modo per comparationem ad alium; et in hoc est jam alius modus regulandi: et ideo exigitur alia virtus; et hoc proprie ad justitiam pertinet; unde ab eodem actu, scilicet percussione alicujus, retrahit mansuetudo, scilicet secundum quod procedit ex passione interiori, et justitia in ordine ad alium. In omni autem moderationem; oportet quod illud quod moderatur, mensurae sive regulae alicui adaequetur. Unde sicut moderatio passionum est adaequatio ipsarum ad ratione: ita moderatio exteriorum actuum, secundum quod sunt ad alterum, est quod adaequentur illi ex comparatione ad quem moderantur. Et haec quidem adaequatio est quando ei redditur quod et quantum ei debetur; et haec adaequatio proprius modus justitiae est. Unde ubicumque invenitur ista adaequatio complete, est justitia quae est virtus specialis; et omnes virtutes in quibus salvatur, sunt partes subjectivae justitiae. Ubi autem ista adaequatio non secundum totum salvatur, sed secundum aliquid, reducitur ad justitiam ut pars potentialis, aliquid de modo ejus participans. Ista autem adaequatio tria complectitur, ut ex dictis patet, scilicet ut sit ordinatum ad alterum; ut sit ei debitum, alias superexcederet actio eum ad quem fit; et ut tantum reddatur quantum debetur; alias deficeret in minus. Sunt autem quaedam virtutes quibus redditur alteri quod debetur ex necessitate legis, non tamen tantum, quia impossibile est; sicut in honore qui est ad Deum, quod facit religio; et qui ad parentes et ad patriam, quod facit pietas. Unde istae virtutes deficiunt quidem a justitia, et sunt partes ejus potentiales, et propinquissime se habent ad ipsam. Quaedam vero sunt quibus redditur alteri quod debetur non ex necessitate legis, sed quadam honestate, sicut philosophus dicit in 8 Ethic.: sicut gratia quae est retributio beneficiorum, secundum Tullium, misericordia, et hujusmodi: et hae virtutes aliquantulum magis distant a vera justitia. Quaedam autem virtutes sunt quibus hoc circa quod principaliter est virtus, ordinatur ad alterum, non tamen secundum rationem debiti, sicut liberalitas; et hae adhuc magis distant a vera justitia. Quaedam vero hoc circa quod est virtus, non principaliter, sed secundario, ordinant ad alterum; sicut quando fortitudo actum exteriorem, circa quem secundario est, ordinat ad alterum ut ad bonum gratiae, et sic induit quodammodo formam justitiae; et sic omnis virtus potest reduci ad justitiam; unde justitia legalis est idem quod omnis virtus in 5 Ethic. Quantum ad passiones autem, circa quas principaliter sunt illae virtutes, nihil possunt habere de modo justitiae, eo quod per passiones immediate homo non ordinatur nisi ad seipsum; tamen per quamdam similitudinem est ibi quaedam forma justitiae, secundum quod diversae vires computantur ut diversae personae; unde sic est justitia metaphorica, de qua philosophus loquitur in 5 Ethic. Ex dictis igitur potest patere de facili, qualiter omnes partes a philosophis assignatae, sunt partes justitiae: quia inter partes quas Tullius ponit vindicatio et observantia sunt partes subjectivae verae justitiae: quia vindicatio reddit malum debitum, observantia autem bonum ad quod se obligavit. Vindicatio enim, secundum eum, est virtus, qua vis aut injuria, et omne quod obfuturum est, defendendo et ulciscendo propulsatur. Religio autem quae est ad Deum, et pietas quae est ad parentes et conjunctos sanguine vel patria, sunt partes potentiales, sed propinquae: quia reddunt quod debent, et ex obligatione legis, sed non quantum; quia impossibile est. Has autem sic definit: religio est quae superiori cuidam naturae, quam divinam vocant, curam caeremoniamque affert; et dicitur a religando secundum Isidorum, vel secundum Augustinum, a reeligendo Deum quem amiseramus. Pietas vero est per quam sanguine conjunctis patriaeque benevolis officium et diligens tribuitur cultus. Gratia autem et veritas reddunt quod debent ex quadam honestate, qua fit ut homo gratiam beneficio impendat (quamvis non possit ad id in judicio cogi), et quod talem se in dictis et factis exhibeat qualis est, quod ad veritatem pertinet: de qua philosophus etiam determinat in 4 Ethic. Est enim gratia in qua amicitiarum et obsequiorum alterius memoria, et remunerandi voluntas continentur.

But what the Common Doctor has is a bit too refined for our common understanding. He was a theologian writing for theologians.

Jesus is rather incisive in His presentation of the matter:

Matthew 10,25 – It is enough for the disciple to be like his Teacher, and the slave like his Master. If they have called the Master of the House “Beelzebul” [="the lord of the flies" = "the lord of corruption and death"], how much more will they malign those of His household?

In Jesus, justice and mercy are but one and the same. He takes on what we justly deserve for original and personal sin, and therefore has the right in all justice — He being innocent — to have mercy on us: “Father! Forgive them! They know not what they do!” For us to receive this mercy, we have to be brought up into His justice. We ourselves must be like Him, taking on the worst injustice and providing forgiveness, mercy, in return. Yikes!

Comment: While I am surely tempted in my weakness to be bitter with injustice, the Lord has been extraordinarily good and kind to me, carrying me close to His Heart, so that I might be instant in forgiveness with those who trample on justice and therefore trample on mercy. This promptness with forgiveness is, for me, perhaps the greatest consolation I have ever received in the spiritual life. Surely it is the most notable. It is the way in which I find myself close to that pierced Heart, knowing forgiveness myself, and wanting that for all others, even those whom I see in this world of ours trampling on others without mercy, with hatred for justice. After all, perhaps they will come to know the Lord’s forgiveness and also offer themselves as living sacrifices (see Romans 12,1), as a living intercession of all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ.

The more we know justice and mercy to be the same thing in God, the happier we are, the more blessed we are, the more we live the Beatitudes.