Mercy: Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life

by Walter Kasper

Publisher:

Paulist Press

, 2014

Overview

Reflect upon God’s mercy with Cardinal Walter Kasper’s newest work, Mercy. Kasper looks at empathy and compassion as a starting point for theological reflection on the topic. He continues by reflecting upon significant questions: What does it mean to believe in a merciful God? How are divine mercy and divine justice related? How can we speak of a sympathetic—that is, a compassionate—God? Can undeserved woe and divine mercy be brought into harmony with one another?

Praised by Pope Francis for the essential issues it emphasizes, Mercy addresses ethical questions that similarly arise: How can we measure up to the standard of divine mercy in our own actions? What does the message of mercy mean for the practice of the Church and how can we cause the central message of God’s mercy to shine in the life of Christians and the Church? What does this message mean for a new culture of mercy in our society?

These considerations of mercy lead to the fundamental questions of theology. In this work, Kasper combines theological reflection with spiritual, pastoral, and social considerations on this essential topic at a crucial time.

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Key Features

• Discusses transforming today’s culture with mercy
• Combines theological reflection and social considerations
• Studies the connections between divine mercy and divine justice
• Suggests bringing the light of God’s mercy into the life of the Church

Contents

• Mercy: A Crucially Relevant, but Forgotten Topic
  • The Cry for Mercy
  • Mercy: A Fundamental Issue for the Twenty-First Century
  • Mercy: Criminally Neglected
  • Mercy under Idealogical Suspicion
  • Empathy and Compassion: A New Approach
• Approximations
  • Philosophical Approaches
  • Exploring the History of Religions
  • The Golden Rule: A Common Point of Reference
• The Message of the Old Testament
  • The Language of the Bible
  • The Divine Response to Chaos and the Catastrophe of Sin
  • The Revelation of God’s Name as Revelation of Divine Mercy
  • Mercy as God’s Inscrutable and Sovereign Otherness
  • The Mercy, Holiness, Justice, and Fidelity of God
  • God’s Option for Life and for the Poor
  • Praise of God in the Psalms
• Jesus’ Message of God’s Mercy
  • Lo, A Rose E’er Blooming
  • Jesus’ Gospel of the Father’s Mercy
  • A Merciful Father in the Parables
  • Jesus’ Existence for Others
  • God’s Mercy—God’s Justice—Our Life
• Systematic Reflections
  • Mercy as God’s Defining Attribute
  • Mercy as Mirror of the Trinity
  • God’s Mercy: Source and Goal of God’s Activity
  • God’s Universal Salvific Will
  • Jesus’ Heart as the Revelation of God’s Mercy
  • The God Who Mercifully Suffers with Us
  • Hope for Mercy in the Face of Innocent Suffering
• Blessed Are They Who Show Mercy
• Love: The Principal Christian Commandment
• “Forgive One Another” and the Commandment to Love One’s Enemies
• The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
• No Laissez-Faire Pseudomercy!
• Encountering Christ in the Poor
• Mercy as Christian Existence for Others
• The Church Measured by Mercy
  • The Church: Sacrament of Love and Mercy
  • The Proclamation of Divine Mercy
  • Penance: The Sacrament of Mercy
  • Ecclesial Praxis and the Culture of Mercy
  • Mercy in Canon Law?
• For a Culture of Mercy
  • The Size and Parameters of the Modern Social Welfare State
  • The Continuation of the Church’s Social Teaching
  • The Political Dimension of Love and Mercy
  • Love and Mercy as the Source of Inspiration and Motivation
  • The Societal Significance of the Works of Mercy
  • Mercy and the Question of God
• Mary, Mother of Mercy
  • Mary in the Gospels
  • Mary in the Faith of the Church
  • Mary as Archetype of Mercy

Top Highlights

“Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity.’^{27” (Page 6)}

“Mercy expresses God’s essence, which graciously attends to and devotes itself to the world and to humanity in ever new ways in history. In short, mercy expresses God’s own goodness and love. It is God’s caritas operativa et effectiva.²² Therefore, we must describe mercy as the fundamental attribute of God.” (Page 88)

“But mercy becomes pseudomercy when it no longer has a trace of trembling before God, who is holy, and trembling before his justice and his judgment. It becomes pseudomercy when ‘yes’ is no longer a ‘yes’ and ‘no’ is no longer a ‘no’; when it does not exceed, but rather undercuts the demand for justice.” (Page 10)

“What ultimately is at stake in Christian mercy is the encounter with Jesus Christ himself in and through those who suffer. Therefore, mercy is principally not a matter of morality, but a matter of faith in Christ, discipleship, and an encounter with him.” (Page 150)

“We can understand mercy only when we include the biblical concept of ‘heart’ (leb, lebab, καρδία) in our considerations.” (Page 42)

Praise for the Print Edition

This book has done me so much good.

—Pope Francis

Product Details

• Title: Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life
• Author: Walter Kasper
• Publisher: Paulist Press
• Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 272
• Christian Group: Catholic
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Practical Life

About Walter Kasper

Walter Kasper is a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church and president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He was born in 1933 in Brenz, Germany. He was ordained in 1957, and was a professor at Tübingen University for 25 years. In 1989, he became bishop of one of Germany’s largest Catholic dioceses, Rottenburg-Stuttgart. While there, he visited every one of the 1,000 parishes in the diocese. He was elevated to cardinal in 2001, and cardinal-priest in 2011. He served as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity from 2001 to 2010.