It is necessary first of all to renew the hearts of men, to repress covetousness and greed, to allay hatreds, to really put into practice the norms and dealings of justice, to bring about a better distribution of wealth, to foster mutual charity and to stir up virtue in all.Mirabile Illud
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Pius XII on peace
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Belloc on Justice and Order
Now, the law and its courts, its magistrates and its officers have in every society whatsoever two causes to serve. These two causes are Justice and Order. In Heaven the two are coincident. On earth they are in practice convergent, but not identical. You must in practice lean either towards the side of Justice or towards the side of Order. In the Catholic atmosphere the emphasis is on Justice, in the anti-Catholic it is upon Order. In both, every effort is made by good men to combine the two, but when the one must be sacrificed to the other or when there must be compromise between them to the advantage of the one or the other, the Catholic ethic results in an emphasis upon Justice, the anti-Catholic in an emphasis upon Order...From Essays of a Catholic
Monday, 1 December 2014
The Thirst for Justice - Cardinal Bacci
The Thirst for Justice
1. Jesus commands us in the Beatitudes to seek justice, that is, perfection in the fulfilment of our obligations to God, to ourselves, and to our neighbour. He commands us, moreover, to hunger and thirst for this justice, which is identical with holiness.
When Christ tells us to hunger and thirst for justice, He imposes on us the obligation of doing our very... best to acquire the virtue of Christian justice which is the synthesis of all the virtues. We must beware, therefore, of laziness, apathy, tepidity, or mediocrity, for our advance in spiritual perfection must be continuous. There must be no hesitation or backsliding. The high target which God has set for us demands hard work and boundless generosity on our part. Jesus Christ loved us so much that He gave Himself entirely for us and shed His Precious Blood to the last drop for our redemption. How can we possibly be niggardly or half-hearted in our relations with Him?
Whenever God's cause is at stake, whether in our efforts to achieve our own spiritual perfection or in the fulfilment of our obligations towards our neighbour, we should never refuse anything, but should display absolute dedication to God and to our fellow-man. "Let us hunger," said St. Catherine of Siena, "for God's honour and for the salvation of souls." (Brev. di perfezione, p.81) The hunger and thirst for justice, nourished by the love of God and of our neighbour, should exclude all mediocrity and selfishness from our lives. It should urge us on, as it did the Saints, towards the highest pinnacles of sanctity.
2. Many people, unfortunately, hunger and thirst for wealth, for pleasure, and for honour. In practice, if not in theory, they forget all about their personal sanctification and the welfare of their neighbour. They pray, certainly, and they go to church, give alms, and carry out the duties of their station in life conscientiously from morning until night. They may even engage in many external works of charity on their neighbour's behalf. But what is their dominant thought and their principal ambition? To keep up appearances, to be praised and esteemed, to be successful in their career… This, however, is not justice or Christian perfection, but corresponds to the attitude of the Scribes and Pharisees, who did not seek the kingdom of Heaven, but their own interests. (Cf.Mt. 5:46-47) Of these it is written that “they have received their reward.” (Mt. 6:2) They have not sought God, but themselves. Therefore they can never have God or His everlasting happiness as their reward. They must be content with the insignificant and passing glory of this world. Indeed, on many occasions they will be unable to gain even this much and will find that they have laboured in vain.
The envious man will even find cause for personal sorrow and unhappiness in the welfare and in the success of others. He would have nobody wealthy, respected, or happy in the world but himself. Even when the zealous man is working for a good cause, he is not concerned with it, but only with himself. He identifies his own ego with the cause for which he is fighting.
3. Let us think deeply about our own secret ambitions. Let us examine our thoughts, affections, desires, and actions in order to make sure that their primary object is the glory of God and the triumph of His reign in the universe. If we find blemishes, distortions, or tepidity, we must revive and purify our love of God.
1. Jesus commands us in the Beatitudes to seek justice, that is, perfection in the fulfilment of our obligations to God, to ourselves, and to our neighbour. He commands us, moreover, to hunger and thirst for this justice, which is identical with holiness.
When Christ tells us to hunger and thirst for justice, He imposes on us the obligation of doing our very... best to acquire the virtue of Christian justice which is the synthesis of all the virtues. We must beware, therefore, of laziness, apathy, tepidity, or mediocrity, for our advance in spiritual perfection must be continuous. There must be no hesitation or backsliding. The high target which God has set for us demands hard work and boundless generosity on our part. Jesus Christ loved us so much that He gave Himself entirely for us and shed His Precious Blood to the last drop for our redemption. How can we possibly be niggardly or half-hearted in our relations with Him?
Whenever God's cause is at stake, whether in our efforts to achieve our own spiritual perfection or in the fulfilment of our obligations towards our neighbour, we should never refuse anything, but should display absolute dedication to God and to our fellow-man. "Let us hunger," said St. Catherine of Siena, "for God's honour and for the salvation of souls." (Brev. di perfezione, p.81) The hunger and thirst for justice, nourished by the love of God and of our neighbour, should exclude all mediocrity and selfishness from our lives. It should urge us on, as it did the Saints, towards the highest pinnacles of sanctity.
2. Many people, unfortunately, hunger and thirst for wealth, for pleasure, and for honour. In practice, if not in theory, they forget all about their personal sanctification and the welfare of their neighbour. They pray, certainly, and they go to church, give alms, and carry out the duties of their station in life conscientiously from morning until night. They may even engage in many external works of charity on their neighbour's behalf. But what is their dominant thought and their principal ambition? To keep up appearances, to be praised and esteemed, to be successful in their career… This, however, is not justice or Christian perfection, but corresponds to the attitude of the Scribes and Pharisees, who did not seek the kingdom of Heaven, but their own interests. (Cf.Mt. 5:46-47) Of these it is written that “they have received their reward.” (Mt. 6:2) They have not sought God, but themselves. Therefore they can never have God or His everlasting happiness as their reward. They must be content with the insignificant and passing glory of this world. Indeed, on many occasions they will be unable to gain even this much and will find that they have laboured in vain.
The envious man will even find cause for personal sorrow and unhappiness in the welfare and in the success of others. He would have nobody wealthy, respected, or happy in the world but himself. Even when the zealous man is working for a good cause, he is not concerned with it, but only with himself. He identifies his own ego with the cause for which he is fighting.
3. Let us think deeply about our own secret ambitions. Let us examine our thoughts, affections, desires, and actions in order to make sure that their primary object is the glory of God and the triumph of His reign in the universe. If we find blemishes, distortions, or tepidity, we must revive and purify our love of God.
Sunday, 30 November 2014
The Blessedness of Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Justice - Cardinal Bacci
The Blessedness of Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Justice
1. “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice,” says Jesus Christ, “for they shall be satisfied.” (Mt. 5:6) These words oblige us to seek justice in our actions if we desire the happiness which Our Lord promises to the just.
We must understand, of course, what is intended here by the word "justice." It may be inte...rpreted in two ways. According to its most common meaning, justice is the cardinal virtue which obliges us to give every man his due. Often in Sacred Scripture, however, the word is synonymous with perfection or holiness; that is, it is the synthesis of all the virtues. It is in this sense that Jesus employs the term when He says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be given you besides.” (Mt. 6:33)
In its fullest sense, then, justice embraces our relations with God, with ourselves, and with our neighbour. In the first place, we must be just towards God and, therefore, in accordance with the Gospel precept, we must “render to God the things that are God's.” (Mt. 22:21)Since everything belongs to God, our Creator and Redeemer, we must offer everything to Him, including ourselves, all that we are and all that we possess. We have only obligations in regard to God, and no rights, because we have received everything from Him. We ought to obey Him, therefore, as our supreme lawgiver. We ought to adore Him and to love Him with a greater love that we have for any creature or for ourselves, because He is the highest good which merits all our love and which alone can satisfy us. We should express our love, moreover, by our actions and by the complete dedication of ourselves to His honour and glory.
Justice, then, is in fact Christian perfection and is the synthesis of all the virtues. That great pagan writer, Cicero, had already perceived this when he wrote that "piety is the foundation of all the virtues," (Planc., 12) and that "piety is justice in regard to God." (Nat. D., I, 41) Justice in our relations with God demands that we adore, love, and obey Him. In this way we lay the basis of all the virtues.
2. We must also be just towards ourselves. God has established a hierarchy of faculties in human nature. There are the lower faculties, which are often moved to action by our passions, and above these there is right reason, which ought to govern all else through the will. According to St. Thomas, the rule of right reason within us should be comparable to that of God in the universe. (De Regim. Principum, I, 12) "It is fitting," he says elsewhere, "that everything in man should be subject to reason." (S. Th., I-II, q. 100, a. 2 ad 1) St. Augustine observes that, as the lower faculties should obey the intellect, so the intellect should be subject to God and should fulfil His holy law. (Cf. De Serm. Domini in Monte, Bk. I, c. 2.)
In this way there exists in us absolute justice, which is the harmony of perfection. If the passions, however, rebel and dethrone reason, or if reason revolts against God, there follows the degradation of human nature, the triumph of sin, remorse, and spiritual ruin.
3. We must be just, finally, in our dealings with others. This rules out theft, homicide, detraction, calumny, and hatred of our neighbour. We can be unjust to our neighbour not only in material things, but also in the moral order. Christian justice, moreover, makes many demands on us which we do not sufficiently consider. If our neighbour is hungry, we are obliged to assuage his hunger. If he is ill-clad, homeless, or out of work, the Gospel tells us that we are obliged to help him and to console him by every means in our power, even if this necessitates sacrifice on our part. This is the Christian justice without which neither faith nor charity can survive. The man who lacks this virtue will one day be condemned by the Supreme Judge with the terrifying words: "Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire."
1. “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice,” says Jesus Christ, “for they shall be satisfied.” (Mt. 5:6) These words oblige us to seek justice in our actions if we desire the happiness which Our Lord promises to the just.
We must understand, of course, what is intended here by the word "justice." It may be inte...rpreted in two ways. According to its most common meaning, justice is the cardinal virtue which obliges us to give every man his due. Often in Sacred Scripture, however, the word is synonymous with perfection or holiness; that is, it is the synthesis of all the virtues. It is in this sense that Jesus employs the term when He says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be given you besides.” (Mt. 6:33)
In its fullest sense, then, justice embraces our relations with God, with ourselves, and with our neighbour. In the first place, we must be just towards God and, therefore, in accordance with the Gospel precept, we must “render to God the things that are God's.” (Mt. 22:21)Since everything belongs to God, our Creator and Redeemer, we must offer everything to Him, including ourselves, all that we are and all that we possess. We have only obligations in regard to God, and no rights, because we have received everything from Him. We ought to obey Him, therefore, as our supreme lawgiver. We ought to adore Him and to love Him with a greater love that we have for any creature or for ourselves, because He is the highest good which merits all our love and which alone can satisfy us. We should express our love, moreover, by our actions and by the complete dedication of ourselves to His honour and glory.
Justice, then, is in fact Christian perfection and is the synthesis of all the virtues. That great pagan writer, Cicero, had already perceived this when he wrote that "piety is the foundation of all the virtues," (Planc., 12) and that "piety is justice in regard to God." (Nat. D., I, 41) Justice in our relations with God demands that we adore, love, and obey Him. In this way we lay the basis of all the virtues.
2. We must also be just towards ourselves. God has established a hierarchy of faculties in human nature. There are the lower faculties, which are often moved to action by our passions, and above these there is right reason, which ought to govern all else through the will. According to St. Thomas, the rule of right reason within us should be comparable to that of God in the universe. (De Regim. Principum, I, 12) "It is fitting," he says elsewhere, "that everything in man should be subject to reason." (S. Th., I-II, q. 100, a. 2 ad 1) St. Augustine observes that, as the lower faculties should obey the intellect, so the intellect should be subject to God and should fulfil His holy law. (Cf. De Serm. Domini in Monte, Bk. I, c. 2.)
In this way there exists in us absolute justice, which is the harmony of perfection. If the passions, however, rebel and dethrone reason, or if reason revolts against God, there follows the degradation of human nature, the triumph of sin, remorse, and spiritual ruin.
3. We must be just, finally, in our dealings with others. This rules out theft, homicide, detraction, calumny, and hatred of our neighbour. We can be unjust to our neighbour not only in material things, but also in the moral order. Christian justice, moreover, makes many demands on us which we do not sufficiently consider. If our neighbour is hungry, we are obliged to assuage his hunger. If he is ill-clad, homeless, or out of work, the Gospel tells us that we are obliged to help him and to console him by every means in our power, even if this necessitates sacrifice on our part. This is the Christian justice without which neither faith nor charity can survive. The man who lacks this virtue will one day be condemned by the Supreme Judge with the terrifying words: "Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire."
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