GOD OF JUSTICE, TRUTH, AND MERCY.
July 10, 2022.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – C.
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Lk 10:25
A Hebrew proverb says: “The world is sustained by three
things: justice, truth, and peace.” And a Chinese proverb adds: “If there is
righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.”
The ultimate goal and end of our earthly existence is life
in God, eternal life. This eternal life is a life of perfection. But, left to
oneself, no human being can attain this perfection. We will access it only
through the almighty and loving mercy of God. For, salvation is a gift of His
mercy.
Mercy is the image of God we all like and we only want to
see him under that image and nothing else. For us, knowing God as mercy is the
source of peace. That, even though we are sinners, the Lord does never get
tired of us.
In his book interview with the Vatican Reporter Andrea
Tornielli titled "The Name of God is Mercy", Pope Francis says,
"Mercy is the first attribute of God. The name of God is mercy. There are
no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into
quicksand." So, mercy is how God reaches out to us. This requires also our
acknowledgment of our sinfulness. We could say, human sin is what gives meaning
and being to God's mercy. Nevertheless, the God who has mercy as his greatest
attribute has also justice and truth for attributes. Pope Francis could say:
"Mercy is not opposed to justice but rather expresses God's way of
reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself,
convert, and believe." In God, mercy goes together with justice and truth,
and love. The God who is Mercy is as well Justice and Truth. In his love, but
also his great justice, he gave his people the Law to be followed and kept
faithfully.
In his fourth and final sermon to the people before their
entrance into the Promised Land, Moses speaks about the Law of the Lord, the
commandments he gave for their life, and harmonious relationship with him and
among themselves. Through the words of Moses, we read that the Lord cares a lot
about the righteousness of his people. He wants that they should keep his
commandments and statutes with all their heart and their soul.
These exhortations of Moses apply also to you and me. The
Lord who created us out of love and will redeem us out of mercy wants us to be
just. He values a lot, justice and human righteousness. And for this reason, he
has put into us his Law. The divine ordinances and laws are not out of our
reach. They are inscribed into our hearts. To do good and avoid evil is within
human reach and the fruits of personal decisions. And God's judgment on us will
be in accordance with our choices and decisions.
In the second reading, through his great Christological
hymn, Paul tells us who Christ Jesus is, and what he did. The Lord, the Apostle
says, is the visible image of the invisible God. So if we agree that God is
Mercy, Christ is the tangible image of God's mercy. If we see God as divine
judge and font of all justice and righteousness, Christ Jesus is the
incarnation of that justice, "the firstborn of all creation." Then,
about the Lord's mission, Paul says: he created all things; he sustains all
things; he will redeem or reconcile all things. For he has primacy, as the
head, on all things. Christ is the Supreme Judge. He will judge everything in
justice and truth.
The Gospel opens with a beautiful question that must lead us
to discover God's mercy and justice in action. “Teacher, what must I do to
inherit eternal life?” The question of the scholar of the Law to Jesus. Quite
strange the position of the one who makes the question, a scholar of the law.
One who is supposed to know a lot about righteousness and dealing with justice
according to the Law. But this teaches us that no one is ever just or well
alert in terms of righteousness. We all still have something to learn. What
must we do to be just?
The Lord starts answering with the basic: faithfulness to
the Law. The Lord leads him to say by himself what the Law teaches as a way to
perfection: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all
your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor
as yourself.” This is the first step. But not enough. Something more needs to
be done. And that thing more is called mercy, compassion, and love.
Many people today are very good in regard to the Law. We can
find nothing to reproach them in terms of righteousness and faithfulness to the
Law. But their observance of the Law does not go beyond the letter. They are
righteous and that is all. Do not ask them to be good. It is beyond their
agendas.
The Lord, answering to the scholar tells us that justice
alone is not enough for salvation. Faithful following of rules is good but not
enough without compassion. The parable of the Good Samaritan is given to you
and me to teach us these two elements of Justice and Mercy.
Let's keep alive in mind the question that led to this
parable: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Eternal life is not
only about the observance of rules but also concrete actions. We could be like
the Priest or the Levite more concerned about ritualism or take the step beyond
to be the Samaritan, one who feels concerned for the needy.
Our world will not change to become perfect not through
legalism or legislations. How many rules are voted against robbery, abortion,
corruption, sexual abuses, murder, rapes, terrorism, coup d'etat, and so on?
But the truth is, those things are still more than actual and vivid.
Legislators and people in charge of implementing the rules are even the worse
subjects of those rules. The only thing that can bring a little solace in a
world corrupted by sin are compassion and love. The robbers of peace and life
are still at work. Only the instruments of love and compassion can stop them.
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