The parallels and different behaviors between Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and Mary the Mother of God are interesting. Mary's prayer strikes me as one mostly, though obviously not exclusively, of justice, of the oppressed finally being relieved: "He has shown strength with his arm / and has scattered the proud in their conceit, Casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good thing and sent the rich away empty."
Zechariah's song strikes me as being mostly (though again not exclusively) about mercy, of the how even sinners can be be numbered among the righteous: "to enable us to serve him without fear...to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God."
That seems reasonable given how in response to the angel Gabriel Mary was without sin and trusted God while Zechariah did not.
Pope Benedict wrote in his latest encyclical of justice and mercy being linked* and it seems they would have to be merely because there are sinners and those sinned against and how could God ignore one or the other? I think it was Chesterton who said that children thirst after justice and adults after mercy; perhaps that is what is meant by Christ's word that we become as little children - that we might begin to desire justice instead of merely mercy for ourselves. Still, His mercy is the draw. Devotions flow to mercy as water seeks the lowest level. Protestants often address their prayer far more to Jesus than the Father, or to the Holy Spirit, one might think for reasons of mercy and gratitude. And tis true that there is the temptation for Catholics is to see Mary or the saints as "more merciful" than Jesus.
I once hoped - and felt self-righteous at the thought - that Hitler was in Heaven, not out of any concern for Hitler but because it would improve my chances. But I'm beginning to realize that the standard against which to measure whether something is good or bad is not my own but God's. (Although you can't slip into the mindset that God is arbitrary and that he could call something bad 'good' and it would by His decree.)
* - The incarnation of God in Christ has so closely linked the two together—judgement and grace—that justice is firmly established: we all work out our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Nevertheless grace allows us all to hope, and to go trustfully to meet the Judge whom we know as our “advocate”, or parakletos (cf. 1 Jn 2:1).
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