The Difference between Compassion and Mercy

Is there a difference between compassion and mercy? I don't mean this as a purely theoretical distinction. To me, it's a very practical question. Compassion, as I define it in my book, means making a conscious effort to put oneself in another person's place, to see the world through someone else's eyes. Mercy, on the other hand, means letting someone off the hook, choosing to forgo one's claim against another person.Let me give you an example of what I mean. Let's say I am a small landlord wi...