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"And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy"

                                                    —Micah 6:8

Justice and mercy, the words often go together, and this reference is a favorite of many people though the particular passage does not equate the two. It just says to behave according to the meaning of each words. (Easy to say, of course. Not always easy to do!) But in common usage, the words go together: Be just; be merciful. Now those are good admonitions, but they are contradictory. Justice means you get what you deserve;  mercy means you don’t get what you deserve.  (I much prefer the latter.) How then, can the two notions and behaviors be brought together?

Justice and mercy may be brought together by love, a certain kind of love, That love does not mean ‘like’. It is not even romantic nor familial love. It means wanting the good for the other. It is the love of the Golden Rule. (See Whisper no. 19.)