I can't get over this sermon by the pope, Saint Leo the Great. He begins by quoting the Lord:Unless your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
St. Leo asks, "How can justice exceed?" He then offers this as an answer, "...compassion is more than judgment."
The saint then explains that since we are made in the image and likeness of God, and to work towards perfection to be more like God, then:
With strict vengeance removed and the cessation of all punishment, the guilty man was restored to innocence, and the end of wickedness became the beginning of virtue.
Isn't this starting all over? Giving someone another chance? Would not the man work hard to stay away from wickedness? After all, he would know the consequences.
This would be the wisdom of the drunk, the voice of experience, the hope of the Christian.
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