It would be near impossible this week to be untouched by the voices of our brothers and sisters amid difficult and oppressive circumstances. Unfortunately, these voices are not new: the voices of those who suffer injustice echo throughout history, and in all parts of our modern world. As Christians, God always invites us to hear and listen to the cries of the poor, in the myriad and diverse ways that these roars of pain and hurt come into our lives. And even when these shouts fall on ears that do not listen, or are lost as whispers in time and space, God hears. And God moves. With justice.
The concept of God’s justice is one of the richness, oldest and most powerful values in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Old Testament is bursting at the seams with stories, psalms, praises and people who proclaim the justice of God with full voice. This manifestation is not out of the Marcionite understanding of God that separated the experiences of the divine in the Old and New Testament into dualistic entities. The story of the Jewish people, and the subsequent Christian communities, is deeply tied to the justice and liberation for the people of God. In our Catholic tradition, Catholic Social Teaching is one of the most substantial expressions of this ongoing legacy of God’s justice and needs many weeks to unpack! Finally, the concept of God’s mercy cannot be separated from any discussions of God’s justice. It is crucial to hold these additional elements as part of this reflection.
I would like to draw your attention to a few examples of the words and actions of Jesus that continued, developed, and emboldened this understanding of justice. There are plenty more in the Gospels that illustrate the ongoing action of God as the embodiment of mercy and justice. This week, I would invite you to reflect on these passages as we delve into the beginning of this massive idea: The Justice of God.
As we covered in a previous week, the proclamation of the Reign (or Kingdom) of God was central to the ministry of Jesus Christ. In fact, it is central to the entire being of Jesus: God is his everything, and for whom, with us, he gave his life. So, we see at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, in the Gospel of Luke, his first words are grounded deeply in the tradition of his ancestors and their understanding of justice.
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. (Luke 4:16-20)
Jesus, right from the beginning of his ministry, signals out this unique group: the poor. The poor is broad in his understanding, as expressed in the Gospels, and is always connected with the unjust ways that the poor are treated and systematically oppressed. Make no mistake: the poor are not poor because of their own circumstances, but because the system is not built for them. Jesus was never satisfied with the status quo. Jesus didn’t die because he said nice things: he was challenging a system of oppression, exclusion and death. His cry remains as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.
The quintessential expression of God’s Justice, for Jesus, is captured in the Beatitudes.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12)
One of the most poignant reminders I have seen at this time has been this question: if you were listening to Jesus say this, what would be your response? In echoing some of the arguments that exist in our world today, would you be the one who would stand up and say, “No, Jesus, blessed are all people!”? Or is your response one that truly listening to the words of Jesus?
Luke’s Beatitudes takes Jesus’ words one step further. Jesus absolutely singles out people who are suffering and who are bringing about the Kingdom of God. For Luke though, there are harsh words for those who opposed this preferential option for the poor.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
“But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
(Luke 6:20-36)
The concept of God’s Justice is intimately connected to the Love of God. In fact, God will not only bless those who suffer. God is on the move. Parable after parable express that God will not remain locked in place waiting for those who need God. These parables are revolutionary: of course, the ordinary person would not leave the ninety-nine to search for the one! God is profoundly challenging us. This is the Justice of God.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15: 1-10)
This text is followed by one of Jesus’ most powerful parables of love, loss and forgiveness, the Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother (or more commonly known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son). I invite you to read these, and the other parables of the Gospels, and to be unsettled and uncomfortable by their challenging nature.
Finally, one of the foundational Gospel texts of justice highlights one more important fact: God not only with those who are oppressed, poor or excluded, but God IS one of them. Matthew clearly states this. It is God that suffers as well.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46).
May you continue to be inspired to be a person of action, and an agent of change. A disciple of the Justice of God.