Question I: What mercy is

Mercy is defined by D. Bonaventure, 3. part. Centil. sect. 44.: Mercy is the virtue by which the innermost heart is moved over the calamity of the afflicted. This virtue thinks nothing human foreign to itself; it reckons the losses, or the goods, of others as its own.

It is drawn out from D. Augustine, 19. de civit. cap. 5., where he defines, or describes, it thus: Mercy is compassion for another's misery in our heart, whereby, if we can bring help, we are compelled.

Valentia thus describes Mercy from D. Thom. art. 1., D. Augustine in the place cited, and Aristotle 2. Rhet. cap. 8.: Mercy is pain, or sorrow, over an involuntary evil of another, reckoned as one's own, and in some way against the dignity of the miserable person, whom the one merciful wills to relieve, as far as lies in him, and as he conveniently can.

It is called a Virtue by D. Bonaventure; for it is a virtue distinct from Charity, as the Apostle teaches, Coloss. 3., where he first teaches: Put on the bowels of Mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; but soon after says: Above all these things, have Charity.

It is proved, because it has a peculiar object, namely the evil of another, and the calamities of the afflicted, as able to be relieved by our works. But this is the reason of a peculiar object, and it begets a peculiar difficulty in the act of mercy in efficacious execution. For indeed, in efficaciously relieving another's misery, there remains a principal difficulty even in one having Charity.

Observe, however, that in the description of the last-mentioned mercy it is placed that it is sorrow over another's misery; for, as Damascenus teaches, 2. de fide, cap. 14., Mercy is a certain species of pain, or sorrow, over the evil of one's neighbour indeed, but reckoned as one's own.

It is said to be over an involuntary evil; for misery consists in suffering involuntarily; just as Beatitude, to which misery is opposed, consists in this, that one have those goods which he wills, according to that word of Augustine, Lib. 13. de civit. cap. 4.: Blessed is he who has whatever he wills, and wills no evil. Yet that misery need not be altogether involuntary; for we can have mercy on a sinner, as D. Thomas teaches, art. 1. ad 1., from the opinion of D. Gregory, homil. 34. in Evangelia.

Then it is said to be over the evil of another reckoned as one's own. For sorrow and pain are over one's own evil: whence the motive of mercy must touch one in some way regarding oneself, as D. Thom. teaches, art. 2. Whence, when the Saintly Doctor, in the explanation of the terms of Theology, near the end, describes mercy: Mercy is compassion for the misery and need of one's neighbour; he does not intend to hand down a definition, but to explain the term; otherwise he would have added: for the miseries of one's neighbour, as one's own.