The Fifth Beatitude: Mercy Given and Mercy Received

After the soul has learned to hunger and thirst for righteousness, it is next taught to be merciful. For no one can rightly seek righteousness unless he is also prepared to forgive. The desire to be made right before God necessarily brings with it compassion for the weakness of others, since a man who knows his own need will not judge harshly.

Mercy here is not mere feeling, but action. It is shown in forgiving offenses, in relieving misery, and in bearing patiently with the faults of others. The merciful recognize that they themselves live by mercy, and therefore they extend to others what they hope to receive from God.

This Beatitude follows in proper order. For the soul that longs for righteousness understands how far it still falls short, and this awareness softens the heart. One who seeks justice without mercy would be severe both toward himself and toward others; but true righteousness is joined with compassion.

The promise given is that they shall obtain mercy. This is not because God learns mercy from man, but because the merciful are made capable of receiving it. For the heart that refuses mercy closes itself against grace, while the heart that forgives is opened to be forgiven. Thus the same measure by which a man shows mercy is returned to him by God.

In this way the soul continues its ascent. Having been humbled, purified, made meek, and filled with the desire for righteousness, it now becomes merciful. And by showing mercy, it is prepared for the purity of heart that follows, since a heart weighed down by resentment cannot be made clean.

Source: St. Augustine, On the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Book I, Chapters 5–6.