As far as affairs go, time doesn't make things better. It delays the issue at hand 'till somebody snaps does something even regrettable than the last. Then all left is to talk it out among the parties involved. What happens then and that point forward happens. Don't fix things haphazardly on your own accord. Listen to both sides, gauge where their emotions are before doing anything.
Cheating doesn't happen without a reason, no matter how pathetic the reason is. I'm not defending your father's actions, merely understanding them. He's human. We are too, and As humans, we are enslaved in the moment; not thinking of what happens next. I know that now, learned it the hard way.
I've been cheated on. I may have not been married, but, it's a bitter pill to swallow; no matter how serious the relationship is. You give up a part of you to the other person and when that happens, you lack the ability to understand why. Don't let your mother blame herself.
Don't let your mother stoop to your father's level and cheat as well. It's unbecoming.
I've also cheated, I'm not proud of what I did. It didn't just wreck my own relationship but my other partners' relationships as well. Being called a "homewrecker" is something I'd have to live with. I understood how terrible I had it when it was done to me. I took advantage of my now ex girlfriend and the freedom she gave me.
The lenten season is repentance and forgiveness. It's understandable if you or your mother can't bear to forgive him right now. It'll be part of my prayers.
May this issue rest with a clean resolution. May your mother keep her steadfast devotion even through this.
As for you, don't lose trust in committed relationships. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
You may find this absurd or unreasonable, but be there for both of them. Bridge the gap for both of them.
Start there.