Mercy as both the inferior and superior place. But always learning.

It’s incredible how such a core concept of Catholic theology can still be a serious subject of division. How can one know Jesus Christ without first knowing what mercy means? Maybe we think we do mean it. But do we make it too personal, too much about the self and a place of righteousness? Cardinal Walter Kasper noted in his 2014 book Mercy that this topic is almost criminally neglected in theological textbooks. It leaves our seminaries and our parishes with a void, one that is frequently filled by opposing and painful interpretations of what it means to GIVE mercy.