"Mercy" is the first and highest divine relative attribute.

It& #39;s a "divine attribute" in that it is a quality, something true about God.

It& #39;s "relative" because it does not deal with God-in-himself, but God-for-us.

It is the "highest" divine relative attribute because it is most like his love and his existence within himself.

It is "first" because it defines his relationship to the created order. His act of separating light from darkness was his first work of mercy.

From the human perspective, our first experience of his mercy is in the confessional - "first" in time, but also in intensity.

If we want to begin to understand God& #39;s mercy, we have to do it from the inside-out. One must needs go to confession.

From there, the experience branches out - one sees the sacraments, the Church, and finally the created world as a work of mercy.

At that point, we see that "mercy" is a gift for the undeserving. None of this can be earned in strict justice.

So when you are asked to show mercy - by forgiving your persecutors, by care for the poor, by close attention to prayer and the sacraments - always remember:

Mercy is only "mercy" when it is shown to those who do not deserve it.