Mercy  is  the  compliment  of  meekness, because whoever is  not  merciful cannot  be  meek  and  peaceable. Mercy consists in forgetting and forgiving offenses.  Hatred and rancor denote a soul that is neither advanced nor great. Forgetting offenses is proper to the advanced soul, which is above the insults that might be directed at it. One is always anxious, darkly suspicious and full of bile; the other is calm, full of gentleness and charity.

Woe to those who say, “I will never forgive,” because if they are not condemned by other human beings, they certainly will be by God. By what right will they beg forgiveness for their wrongs if they themselves do not forgive the wrongs of others? When Jesus says to forgive others not seven times but seventy times seven, he teaches us that mercy should have no limits.

However, there are two quite different ways of forgiving: one is great, noble, truly generous, without ulterior motives, delicately sparing the  self-esteem  and  susceptibility of one’s opponent even when he or she is completely to blame; and the second, by which the offended person – or the one who thinks he or she has been offended – imposes humiliating conditions on the other person and makes him or her feel the weight of a forgiveness that angers instead of pacifies. If this person offers his or her hand, it is not done benevolently but ostentatiously in order to be able to tell the whole world, “See how generous I am!” In such circumstances, it is impossible for there to be a sincere reconciliation for either one. No, in this there is no generosity, but a way of satisfying pride. In every dispute, the one who shows that he or she is more conciliatory, who demonstrates more disinterestedness, charity and true greatness of soul, will always win the sympathy of impartial individuals.