Peace – Justice
“Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” We are accustomed to hearing this Psalm 85 at Christmas time. On a weekend where we think of our freedom we should also think of peace.
There was a slogan not too long ago that read: If you want peace work for justice. Now, no slogan covers everything but there is truth in this slogan.
In the Church, we would use the words “common good of the other” for justice. If our thoughts were always about the common good, the welfare of our neighbor, we would have peace. But our nature is the desire for control. We want to be in charge, we want to be in charge. And often that way of thinking comes from selfish, after all, no one can do it better than I.
From the beginning of time, there has been a lot of blood spilt over who has control of some piece of land. Envy, lust, greed, and desire all cause us to fall into that downward spiral of sin. Why is it so hard to accept what we have? Why can’t we rejoice when someone else receives a bonus or some other award?
We should congratulate them and thank God for His generosity. Instead, we start thinking, “What makes them so special?” Well, the answer is God. He thinks all of us special even if we do not. But God’s ways are not fair! I would answer ‘then thank God you are not in control’. If this is the way you behave, I would not want you in charge. I would much rather seek out God and His instructions. Then justice will be present, and peace will last forever.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen