Pope's quotes: Grace to have mercy

A quote from Pope Francis:

"Some of you might ask me, 'Father, how does one feel mercy and not pity?' Well, first we need to ask for the grace to have mercy. It is a grace and you must ask the Lord for it. The only road, though, to have mercy is through one's own sin recognised by ourselves, and forgiven by the Lord; through sin acknowledged and forgiven. We can be merciful only if we feel we have truly received the mercy of the Lord, as otherwise one cannot be truly merciful. If you feel that your sin has been taken on, forgiven, and forgotten by God, you have received mercy, and by having thus received mercy, you can be merciful. If mercy does not come from your heart in this way, it is not mercy."

— Message to participants in the "Manos Abiertas" national meeting, Oct. 8, 2016

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