LESSON 2

• There is little clear awareness of problems that affect the excluded, who make up the majority of the planet's population
• Problems of the excluded are often mentioned in international discussions but are sometimes treated as an afterthought or collateral damage
• Professionals, opinion makers, and media in affluent urban areas are far removed from the poor, leading to a lack of direct contact and understanding of their problems
• Lack of physical contact with the poor can lead to a numbing of conscience and neglect of reality
• A true ecological approach must integrate questions of justice to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor
• The "image of God" in others is recognized when man worships God, as man is created in God's image and likeness
• The "spirituality of mercy" remedies the double degradation of the "throw-away culture"
• Mercy, according to St. Thomas, is the compassion in our hearts for another person's misery, driving us to help them
• Living a life of mercy involves affective mercy (emotional pity for those who suffer) and effective mercy (positive actions to relieve miseries or meet needs)
• The Latin term "misericordia" means to have a heart for those in misery and seeks to overcome and conquer evil
• The Good Samaritan exemplifies mercy by feeling compassion, treating wounds, and providing care to those in need
• Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, but rather choosing not to yield to destructive forces and seeking justice out of love for justice and respect for victims