Dear People Whom God Loves,
It is helpful to realize that there are various forms of justice.
The first is commutative justice. This speaks of our duties toward one another…that we treat each other fairly and honestly. If I steal your wallet or defraud you, I am violating commutative justice.
The second is distributive justice. This concerns the way that government distributes benefits to its people and asks whether it is done fairly. Fairness also requires that this distribution will not help everyone in the same way. There are matters like transportation that affect everyone. Yet there are differences. Some of us have access to our own transportation. Some of us depend on public transportation. We are all equal, but our needs are different. It is similar to health care. Our needs are different and that affects the way that health care should be provided.
The third is social justice. This looks at the structures and systems in our government and in other societal organizations. This is to see if there is injustice in the ways these systems operate. Does the system treat groups in a way that is unfair? For example, is there different treatment because of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, economic status, etc. This is particularly tricky, because we get so used to structures that we are blind to the injustice. People who are hurting by that injustice are more likely to see it. That is why it is essential for us to listen to “the cry of the poor”. We are also easily blind to the i8njustice when we profit from it.
We need the love that we name God to penetrate our hearts so that we may live humbly and justly before our God.
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay
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