Article February 9, 1998 Issue

Justice and mercy

Who wouldn't like a little mercy? Divine justice delivers it.

By Richard C. Bergenheim

Sometimes, the healing qualities of justice and mercy appear to be in danger of being lost.

In the media, justice and mercy are often portrayed as antagonistic. If we think in political terms, we could say that the "Justice Party" would correspond to a party platform that includes an eye for an eye, stiffer sentencing, quick punishment for wrongs done. The "Mercy Party" would correspond to a platform that contends that criminals are victims of social injustice and can't be held accountable for their actions, that punishment is cruel and counterproductive.

These overly simplistic definitions are unfair, of course, but they constitute the daily fare to be found on talk radio and many TV discussion shows. In this way they affect the way millions of listeners and viewers think about the news and about their own lives.

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