3rd Week of Lent - Justice

"The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." St. John, 10 :11.

Well known to most Americans and especially to us Catholics is the name and person of Clare Boothe Luce. Brilliant playwright, capable congresswoman, interesting speaker, she became one of us by joining the Catholic Church. The story is told that some years ago she attended a dinner party, wearing an immaculate white evening gown. Everything proceeded properly, until the man seated next to her accidentally spilled some gravy on her snow-white dress.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he muttered.

"It's nothing," whispered Mrs. Luce graciously. She was willing to forget the incident.

Her dinner companion, however, was so sorry that he could not forget his clumsiness. Again and again he apologized. Again and again Clare Boothe Luce forgave him, assuring him that it was quite all right. But he would not rest. And when, for the tenth time, he begged forgiveness, Mrs. Luce snatched up a bottle of ketchup and splattered some of its contents over his shirt front, saying soothingly:
"There, does that make you feel any better?"

Perhaps this was the only way to make the offending dinner guest feel that justice had been done. No doubt his apologies ceased. It was a humorous and dramatic cure; something unusual, something startling. It brings out the desire in us all, and the absolute necessity, of rendering justice - justice, one of the four cardinal virtues.

Justice is that virtue which inclines the will to render to everyone his due. It leads us to give everyone what is due him, as far as conduct and property are concerned.

1. Remember that there are different kinds of justice:

A. Legal justice demands that citizens give to the state what is due to it; for example, paying taxes, obeying the laws, and voting for the best candidate.

B. Distributive justice requires that rulers or statesmen see that honors and offices are meted out impartially. All too often this form of justice is violated; political color and not personal ability is the deciding factor in choosing people for public office.

C. Vindictive justice is exercised by the state. It imposes punishments suitable to a certain crime or offense. Its purpose is to correct and to prevent crime, not to avenge it.

D. Commutative justice regulates relations between man and man, between what is due and what is received. Many everyday happenings come in this category, like paying your bus fare, or fulfilling the conditions of any other contract.

2. Justice must be rendered:

A. First, to God. Exterior and interior worship fulfills this obligation. Prayer and penance are a part of it. All too often we meet the modern man who boasts that he never cheats his neighbor, he pays his bills, and gives to charity, but - and this is most important - he never pays any attention to God. He does not fulfil his first duty of justice to God.

B. Justice must be given our neighbor: we must love, reverence and obey our parents; we must be kind, generous, and respectful to our inferiors and those in our charge; we must be tolerant, truthful, friendly and sympathetic to our equals.

C. We must be just to ourselves by trying to save our souls, by taking care of our health, by performing useful work, and by maintaining our personal honor.

3. Justice requires us to respect the rights of others. Man's principal rights, as mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

A. Men have immortal souls and freedom of the will. Hence, they have the right so to live that they may gain heaven. This broad and rockbottom right includes many branches: freedom of conscience, the right to property, to a good name, to family freedom, and the right to a living wage.

B. Justice demands that we protect these rights for ourselves and for others. God has given us these rights. The state merely protects them.

4. Sins against justice arise from failure or refusal to render what is due to others.

A. Directly against justice are:

i. Violations of another's fundamental rights, like slavery, under paying workers, and religious bigotry.

ii. Violating the laws of the state, and putting private advantage above public welfare.

iii. Favoring individuals or groups, and making unjust exceptions, as with draft exemption.

B. There are also sins against the virtues related to justice:

i. Irreligion is injustice to God who has a right to our worship and attention.

ii. Neglecting duties to one's country.

iii. Disrespect, disobedience, and failure to offer help to parents and superiors.

iv. Breaking promises, lying, cruelty.

v. Greed, wastefulness, indifference to the poor, unkindness, impoliteness, and even grouchiness. Should we not all examine ourselves on these points?

In a sense, each one of us is the "good shepherd" of our neighbor's rights. Each one of us is bound to know his neighbor's rights, and is bound to respect them.

We know that even spilling gravy on another's dress through carelessness is against justice. No doubt the offending gentleman in our story felt much better, even though quite surprised, when Clare Boothe Luce dumped the ketchup on his vest - to make things even. Justice is one of our most important obligations and often the most difficult. Don't be too sure that you are not violating justice in some way or other. Ask God to help you be just in every way, especially to Him. Amen.
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Adapted from Prayers, Precepts and Virtues
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1949)