St. Athanasius (d.373) wrote, "It is the great Mercy of God that He becomes the Father of those to whom He is first the Creator."
St. Ambrose (d.397) stated, "Mercy, also, is a good thing, for it makes men perfect, in that it imitates the perfect Father. Nothing graces the Christian soul so much as mercy."
St. John Chrysostom (d.407) explained, "Everything that God does is born of His Mercy and His clemency."
St. Augustine (d.430) prayed, "I confess, O Lord, that Thou art merciful in all Thine acts. And this Saint explained that "God's
Mercy is not lacking to any of His works" Also he wrote that "Man, created in the image of God, is not of the same nature as God, and therefore is not His true son, but he becomes His son through the grace of Divine Mercy." St. Augustine speaks of mercy "flying" after him as if on wings. This same Saint referred to the Holy Eucharist as the "Sacrament of Mercy."
St. Benedict (d.547) taught that one should "never despair of God's mercy."
Pope St. Gregory I (d.604) asked, "Are you a sinner? Then believe in His [God's] mercy, that you may rise."
St. Bernard (d.1153) taught that "God is not the Father of Judgement, but only the Father of Mercy, and punishment comes from our own selves."
