Why is Mercy the Greatest Attribute of God?
Why is Mercy the Greatest Attribute of God?
The concept of God’s Attribute is connected with the science of the nature of God, who is pure Self-Existent Spirit - having existence of Himself, and thus also the fullness of perfection. In God there is internal unity, in other words simplicity which excludes complexity from any parts or components. In knowing God, we do not know Him directly, but through the perfections/attributes, which we find to some extent hidden in creatures.
Theologians group God's attributes, some relating to God's nature, and others to His activities towards creatures. The first group, describing them as absolute attributes, includes: Aseity - God is of Himself or from Himself, Simplicity, Self-existence, Limitlessness, Immutability, Immensity and Eternity, and to the second group, calling them relative or pertinent, they include: Goodness, Wisdom, Providence, Justice and Mercy.
In the face of such a division, the words of the Lord Jesus to Sister Faustina Kowalska seem puzzling, cause to feel confused: “Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy” (cf. Diary 301). It seems to suggest a hierarchy of divine attributes, between which there is equality. The clarification of this issue is primarily due to Fr. Ignacy Różycki, who specified in the notion the attribute the philosophical-theological and functional meaning. In the first sense, mercy is the perfection of God's nature, that is, it is possessed by it, and therefore it is absolutely equal to other perfections, because it is also God and the same God. On the other hand, in a second sense, it surpasses all other attributes of God, because the effects of mercy in the world are the greatest.
Mercy is therefore an attribute of God's nature that manifests itself in every external action: both creative and adoption by the grace. When speaking of God's attributes, it should be remembered that in God there is no real difference between His nature and what we call attributes. Attributes are, according to our reasoning, the perfection that necessarily exists in God, and which results from what we call His nature.
If, according to the Scriptures, we understand mercy as an attribute of God shown to people, we must remember that it covers all times, including eschatological ones, and therefore also those after the end of world history.
Saint Thomas Aquinas defines God's Mercy as the eternal perfection of the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier in His relation to people. Through Mercy, God brings creatures out of poverty and replenishes their shortcomings. The basis of mercy is goodness, because it essence is giving, so everything that God created comes from it. When God creates, He does not make himself profitable or glorious, but works under the influence of goodness itself. Mercy, on the other hand, means that He removes the shortcomings of the world. Therefore, for St. Thomas Aquinas, Mercy is God's Greatest Attribute, because lifting or giving is a sign of greatness.
Divine Mercy, understood strictly, concerns human misery. The main task of mercy is to help. Mercy is therefore where there is sin and weakness. On the other hand, in a broader sense, mercy also applies to all good.
Such an approach to Divine Mercy shows this attribute of God operating in one direction only: mercy is giving, that is, the leaning of the One who has something more towards the one who has less or needs some help.
In the above light, God's Mercy is presented as God's eternal and unchanging perfection, through which He grants creatures, leading them out of multiple poverty, the greatest of which is the lack of existence, which is also the greatest call to His merciful love. Therefore, mercy is the foundation of every work of God.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george