Tuesday, March 9, 2010

dare cuique suum

Daniel 3:25,34-43; Psalm 25 Remember your mercies, Lord; Matthew 18:21-35

"Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed and went to tell the master and reported the whole affair."

The servants in the gospel recognize an injustice and they refuse to be silent. They refuse to turn their eyes and look away. They refuse to remain inactive. They are silent no more.

The servants are models of good behavior.

How often in our society, in our life do we witness silence? How often do we simply reman spectators or on lookers refusing to get involved, refusing to risk in order to fight injustice?

How often has injustice continued while we turn and walk the other way because it doesn't affect us or it isn't our business?

How often do we hide behind the notion that we should just mind our own business or who are we to judge others?

The servants did neither. They assessed the situation, they judged the behavior to be unjust and they sought to remedy the reality not for their sake but for the sake of a fellow servant and for the sake of the world around them. They knew that one act of in justice would have ripple affects reaching into lives of many.

They reached out on the behalf of the one who had no voice or say in the matter.

They took a stand so that justice would become a reality and charity and truth might prevail.

What do we do? What will we do?

Silence is golden but dutiful action is required when injustice begins to yell in our life and in our society.

Excerpt on justice by Pope Benedict's Lenten Message:
"Thanks to Christ's action, we may enter into the "greatest" justice, which is that of love, the justice that recognizes itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected. Strengthened by this very experience, the christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper the human person and where justice is enlivened by love."

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