Forgiveness and mercy

Just read a beautiful quote of St Francis. In a letter to the superior of a religious house who was upset with the conflicts in his community, Francis said:

Love those who act against you with violence, and do not ask of them anything but what the Lord gives you. And it is precisely in this that you must loive them, not even desiring that they become better Christians. And this is more valuable to you than life in a hermitage. And in this will I recognise that you really love the Lord and me, his servant and yours, if you do the following: let there be no brother in the world, even should he have sinned to the maximum, who after looking you in the eyes feels perhaps obliged to leave your presence without obtaining mercy, if he sought mercy. And if he did not seek mercy, ask him whether he wants to receive it. And if after that he comes before your eyes a thousand times, love him more than me, seeking to win him for the Lord. And always have mercy on such brothers.

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