How do you define justice?
In much of Scripture, many seem to have a bias toward those who
live blessed lives: they are good and
righteous, and therefore they are rewarded in this life, whereas the poor and
oppressed often seem to have no recourse or rights. But in this Sunday’s reading from the Book of Sirach, this truism is reversed: the Lord is a God of justice. In other words, God is just to and cares
for all; all people have God’s full care and concern, and therefore access to
justice. Moreover, God’s justice can be
defined as that which is life-giving:
God gives everyone life, and the wherewithal to live. If, then, we too live with the desire to see
that all have life, and if we pray from a position of justice, our prayers will
be heard, our petitions will reach the
heavens. This sentiment is echoed in
the refrain of this week’s Psalm: The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Prayer is one route to justice.
In our reading from the Gospel of Luke, we hear two very
different prayers. One, from a Pharisee,
uses his prayer to set himself apart from other: I thank
you that I am not like the rest of humanity. And this is his biggest program: the Pharisee is caught up in his own vision
of his identity, convinced of his own righteousness. He therefore cannot see as God sees, or stand
in right relationship to God. The tax
collector, on the other hand, prays humbly:
O God, be merciful to me, a
sinner. Unjust in his daily dealings
with others, the tax collector lays his heart open before God, asking to be
readmitted to right relationship with his Creator. It may be news to the Pharisee, but God’s
justice is readily available to this tax collector as well.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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