St. Thomas Aquinas

When we fail to be merciful, St. Thomas reassures us that Divine Mercy for the repentant is not just adequate or sufficient for us, but superabundant, as infinite as God's nature itself.

St. Thomas Aquinas argues that it is even more merciful for God to ask for reparation for sin than if He had just decided to "let bygones be bygones."

In order to understand St. Thomas Aquinas' theory of atonement, we need to be clear about what he meant in saying that Jesus Christ makes "satisfaction" for our sins.

What, then, is the mercy of God, according to St. Thomas? It cannot be an emotion or a passion, since God in His infinite, immutable perfection cannot be subject to changing passions that "happen" to Him or "overcome" Him, or that reduce His fullness of Being in any way.

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) defined the virtue of "mercy" in his great Summa Theologiae as "the compassion in our hearts for another person's misery, a compassion which drives us to do what we can to help him."

In an age of intellectual pride and great confusion of mind and heart, let us turn to St. Thomas Aquinas for his intercession.