JUSTICE!
MAKING SURE
EVERYONE GETS
A PIECE OF THE PIE!
The title of my reflection for this First Monday in Advent is,
“Justice! Making Sure Everyone Gets a Piece of the Pie!"
Justice is one of the various possible themes in today’s first
reading - amongst several. I picked one I don’t preach on that often - justice
- just to refresh my thoughts - to highlight - to mark with yellow Magic Marker
- something that is important.
Isaiah 11: 1-5 is talking about a future leader - the Messiah - a shoot of David - who will have lots
of gifts: a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and
strength, a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. Then Isaiah adds, “He shall judge the poor
with justice.” He further adds, “Justice
shall be the band around his waist.” Band is also translated “belt” or
“loincloth”. In other words, one is wrapped tight when it comes to justice.
So a few thoughts about justice - a central thought -
especially from the prophets. And as we
know - prophets are crucified and killed - rejected and told to leave town and
pulpit - probably a reason we don’t hear too many homilies on justice.
JUSTICE IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT
The Hebrew word used in our text is SEDEK. It can be
translated righteousness, integrity, justice, fairness - words like that.
It’s especially used when talking about fairness in matters
of how judges make decisions - as well as arguments about not being
partial - as well as having honest
weights in the market place - and being aware of the cries of the poor.
Don’t we often heat in the scriptures the refrain, “God
hears the cries of the poor.” Do I?
JUSTICE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament the key word used would be “DIKAIOS”.
It would be used to say what’s right in a given situation before God.
This is what we’re praying for when we say, “Thy will be done!”
Jesus came to set things done right. To discover justice is
to discover the solemn judgment of God
in what’s happening between each other - in family, in neighborhood, in
whatever situation one runs into. It’s the call to be right and fair with each
other.
SOME QUICK
OBSERVATIONS
In today’s gospel - Luke 10: 21-24 - Jesus says the little ones - the childlike
- have a wisdom. With regards justice watch kids at a birthday party when the
cake is cut. The knife doesn’t cut all pieces of equal size and amount of
frosting. Listen to the prophets in the room: “Hey that’s not fair. She got
more than me.” “He got more than I did.”
In today’s first reading we also hear the great scene of, “The
Peaceable Kingdom” - where “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse
together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be
neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the
adder's lair.” [Cf. Isaiah 11: 6-10]
Look for Christmas cards with that scene. Christmas is the
time of peace and justice. The message is: Work for peace by working for
justice. We don’t have to be animals
clawing, biting, devouring each other.
THREE QUICK STORIES
First: I remember hearing some Catholic high school kids on
a retreat calling one of their nuns,
“Sister Peace and Justice.” I asked why. Answer: "because all she talked about
was peace and justice.” What a great nickname! Wouldn’t that be a great comment in our eulogy that we'd all want?
Second: when we took our 4 years of theology
in the major seminary after
college, the last two years were Moral Theology. I’ll never forget our teacher Father Charlie
O’Leary. His nickname was, “The Bull”. He rammed ahead with his main stress: justice.
To him it was the key cardinal virtue - the key life virtue - - over all the others. I’m glad he wasn’t off on sex or
pride - but on the practical issue of fairness across the board.
Third: I’m sure you remember Father Jack Lavin [1] who lived and worked here at St. Mary’s for many years. I learned that the issue of justice was his
number 1 priority. We’d be at lunch or supper. He would be rather quiet till an issue came up in conversation
that had sandwiched in it, the issue justice. Then he would come alive. He had a nose for fairness
issues - justice issues - especially for the poor and unnoticed. Justice was
his bottom line.
CONCLUSION
What’s your issue? What are you off on?
I don’t know what I’m off on - but maybe those who know me -
know what it is. Both that nun, that teacher, Charlie O’Leary and Jack Lavin,
helped me see that people can be off on the issue of justice - and how that
leads to peace.
We all have heard Pope Paul VI’s mantra: “Want peace; work
for justice.”
I once saw a great video - that brought out the issue of
justice and peace, fairness and solidarity, big time.
The main speaker in the video said that peace in the world, peace in our
community, peace in our family, peace in ourselves - will only exist and work when we have fairness.
The video said things like, “To have peace, everyone has to
have a piece of the pie.” “Everyone has
to feel they also have a piece of the action. In other words everyone has a
voice and a vote.”
Leave someone out. Expect a cry - and sometimes a revolution - from the poor slobs that are being neglected. Amen.
OOOOOOOOOO
NOTES:
Read Father Jack Lavin's book, Noticing Lazarus at Our Door.
