Understanding Justice in Relationships with God, Others, and Self

Mr Jason Currao | Acting Director of Faith and Identity

In this Loreto year of Justice, we reflect on what the word ‘justice’ truly means.

Our understanding of justice is to be in right relationships with ourselves, with each other, and with our God. To remove ‘God’ from justice, removes the importance of the origins of justice that began in the Bible. This is demonstrated in Isaiah 40:14, when it is asked who has taught the path of justice, with the answer being God.

Justice is focused on understanding who God is, as it is through knowing God that one comes to know justice. So how does one know God? This meaning is grounded in divine love. A love that includes loving others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31) and is embedded in the character and nature of God. As God is just and loving, so we are called to do justice and live in love. 

Healthy relationships with others involve honesty, trust, respect and open communication, all that is taught by being in right relationship with God. In this way, while two people may hold different opinions, they can respect each other’s differences and live in right relationship with each other. By helping our children recognise this as justice, we are teaching them that everyone is created by God and is unique and despite our individual differences, we can still live in right relationship with each other and grow in justice. However, when in right relationship with God, there is an imbalance of power, because it is God who teaches us, and how we learn what is right and just. It is during this time that we must stop, reflect and seek guidance from God to make decisions that are aligned with our Christian faith. This guidance can be found through different forms of prayer, when one stops and reflects upon their actions, in the hope of responding in a way that is through love of God and love of others.  

Therefore, it is easy when thinking of justice to remove everything in between and focus solely on the actions of justice, however, to do so would be an injustice. This is because it is the reasoning behind why one acts with justice that holds just as much importance as the action itself.

So let us stop and reflect next time we act with justice. May we recognise the reasoning behind our actions, that through every living creature, every human being, there is the presence of God, as God has created all things for us to live in right relationship with them.