text: Excellent piece of work, Fr. Reese!
  
  As I read what you write a further thought comes to mind.  It is in line with the point about discernment.  The reference point for compassion is not the law but the reign of God.  Mercy is not a reprieve from the justice of the law, nor even an accommodation to the needs of justice under law.  As you point out, those who are looking for justification through a more liberal law have missed Jesus' point just as much as those who insist upon enforcement of the law irrespective of discernment.
  
  Instead, mercy is an invitation to become closer and more responsive to the Spirit of Christ who lives in the human heart.  It is an invitation to the reign of God preached by Jesus.  Responding to that invitation is what discernment is directed to.  The goal of discernment is not to see whether justice requires an exception to the law, as if the law were the point of reference, but to follow Christ. 
  
  That goal of submission to Christ can be seen by its joy.