Justice

 The Spiritual Waiting Room

Justice

God's Heart

Believing      Adhering     Honoring

I, TheLord, Love Justice

Caritas

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: Isaiah 61: 8 to 9

I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and evil acts. I will make sure that they get their reward. I will make an eternal agreement with them---a covenant that will have no end. Their children will be well known throughout all the people of the earth. All who look upon them will say: "These are the children that the Lord has blessed."

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection

The prophet Isaiah lets us know exactly what the Lord loves. He is just so direct. No equivocating or subtlety. 

Justice. That is what the Lord wants. 

The Lord doesn't just want our praise. The Lord doesn't need it without our working for justice. Do we really think that our praise and our worship can add anything to the majesty of the Almighty?

No way. The Lord wants us to be just, to be fair to one another, to make sure that we are not taking advantage of anyone.

Isaiah gives some specifics. He tells us that God hates robbery and evil acts. God particularly dislikes the robbery that takes from the poor, the robbery of exploitation. 

The covenant that Isaiah speaks about is an agreement that is eternal. It is a covenant that is based on justice. 

God is saying that we will be treated with justice by God if we treat others in a just way. Justice is our reward. 

We see this in our own lives.  Many times it seems like we are facing a lot of obstacles when we try to advocate for a positive change to bring about a more equitable society. 

We think of those who have been working for an end to hunger or for racial justice or for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Many have been working for years to achieve justice in these areas and have not seen as  much progress as they would have hoped for. 

The Lord tells them through Isaiah what their reward will be: they will be blessed with God"s grace. 

Those who work for fairness look not for a human reward but they look to the Lord.

Kathy's photo comes from a sign she saw while attending a demonstration for peace. Those who were there have been advocating for peace for many years. They know how important it is to do this work even when the results are not always obvious to our eyes.

1. Why does the Lord want justice?

2.  Why does Isaiah specifically mention that God hates robbery?

3. How can we deal with the frustration that comes when we work for justice and do not see the results we had hoped for?