Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

97 Judaism In Sacred Scriptures, God, often called “God, fullness of mercy” ( El male-rakhamim ), is known and loved as He who is always faithful in love, mercy and forgiveness. 7 Merciful divine goodness ( Hèsed ) is infinite over time and space, towards every creature, plant and animal. It is reflected in the human person who is created “in the image and likeness” of God our Lord 8 and is called to imitate and achieve divine perfection. Human mercy’s moral urgency flows from divine mercy. The wise men of Israel acknowledge that, thanks to works of justice and mercy, not only Jews but all righteous people ( Tzaddi- qim ) shall inherit the future world. In common works of mercy for justice and charity, humanity’s cooperation in God’s plan is fulfilled in order to make it better ( tiqqun olam ).  Shintoism In Shintoism, Amaterasu Oomikami is the Sun God- dess, who radiates energy and love equally to all beings and creatures on the earth. There was a time when she concealed herself in the Rocky Celestial Cave. Then, the universe turned into total darkness. When she came out, the universe became bright and full of life. Sunlight nurtures all living beings impartially without discrimi- nation. This illustrates the love and mercy of God that fosters all sentient beings in the universe. 5 Sikhism Mercy has a pre-eminent place in the Sikh Faith ( Dharam) . God is the source of all virtues, including most importantly love ( prem ), mercy and compassion ( deya ) and forgiveness ( khema ). The Super Compas- sionate ( Mahadeyal ), Lord of Compassion ( Deyapati ), Merciful God ( Deyal Dev ), the Merciful One ( Karima Rahima ), bestows virtues for humans’ journey in this world. Deya is a divine quality and the highest virtue. The practice of mercy and compassion takes many forms, for instance sharing wealth with others ( wand chhakna ) and contributing to the provision of free veg- etarian meals ( langar)  served to all, regardless of creed, in Sikh places of worship ( Gurudwaras ).  Taoism ( daoism ) Daoism started as a Chinese philosophy with Lao-Tzu (604–517 BCE?), derived from his mystical and religious experience. It developed into religious Daoism with Zhang Daol-ing (34–156 CE). For both philosophical and religious Daoism, the idea of merciful compassion is always a fundamental tenet and a basic value. The first principle of Daoism, oneness,  is related to compas- sion. It is clear that both Daoist philosophy and religion cherish the virtue and the value of merciful compassion.  Traditional religions The term “mercy” does not have a direct correlation in the languages of most of the societies associated with traditional religions, for example the primal religions of ethnic peoples or natives of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Yet, they have their own ways of express- ing and practicing mercy. Traditional religions’ teachings on community life emphasises sharing and caring. The cultural meaning of mercy is apparent from people’s con- stant search to live in harmony with God, nature and with one another through community living as laid down by their ancestral traditions and customs.  Zoroastrianism Compassion, mercy ( marzhdika ) is one of the most artic- ulate values in Zoroastrianism. Marzhdika is more than having sympathy for someone in distress; it is the deep desire to alleviate the sufferings of others irrespective of who and what they are: “Ye, Zoroastrians! (...) Relieve those who have fallen in distress.” 9 This compassion must go beyond relieving suffering. Mercy and compassion are great moral and spiritual obligations. Marzhdika includes two principles: non-violence ( nidhasnaithishem ) and self-sacrifice or service ( khaet-wadatham ). So the life of every creature is sacred and therefore non-violable. This attitude of non-violence is also extended to nature. 1 Summarised by Prof. Patrice Brodeur 2 CelebratingMercy with Believers of Other Religions , published on 16 June 2016 by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on the occasion of the Roman Catholic Jubilee of Mercy, 5 December 2015 to 20 November 2016 3 The Message of Mercy , Cardinal Kasper, University of Milan, October 2014 4 Mengzi 6A6 5 Qur’an 48:29 6 Qur’an 93:9–10; 17:26 7 Exodus 20:6 8 Genesis 1:26–27 9 Visparad, XV. I