The Virtue of Justice
Gospel Reflection for September 1, 2024 - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
And there assembled together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem.
And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.
For the Pharisees, and all the Jews eat not without often washing their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients:
And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds.
And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands?
But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men.
For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these.
And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear ye me all, and understand.
There is nothing from without a man that entering into him, can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man.
For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
All these evil things come from within, and defile a man. (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 DRA)
The Gospel reading for this Sunday shifts from the previous weeks, which followed the Bread of Life discourse in John 6, to Mark 7, wherein Our Lord answers certain criticisms from Jewish leaders of the time, namely the scribes and Pharisees. Within the context of the other readings, this Gospel selection highlights a virtue which is often misunderstood and neglected today. This virtue is justice, which St. Thomas Aquinas, based on Aristotle and St. Isidore of Seville, defines as “rendering to each one his right.” This simple definition could seem very familiar to modern people, for whom talk of “human rights” or “civil rights” is common, but its traditional sense as found in classical philosophy and Catholic tradition is much deeper and more complex.
Whereas the modern understanding of “rights” tends to focus on what we are owed by society, traditionally, justice also included a sense of duty to others, both as individuals and collectively in the common good. Classically, as citizens in the political community, we are owed what is due to us through what St. Thomas describes as the “proportion of equality.” Christianity provided this sense of rights with a much greater depth by establishing the definition and value of the human being as “person” and grounding it in the fact that he is made “to the image of God.” (Gn 1:27)
Unlike the human rights supposedly established by the Enlightenment, the rights recognized by the Church for two millennia are not based in a merely artificial “social contract,” as asserted by John Locke and Rousseau, but in human nature itself and our inalienable dignity. Without this foundation in natural law and divine revelation, the human person is just another animal, a “clump of cells” whose rights depend entirely upon the will of the mob and the caprice of fashion.
But on top of these rights, which modern societies have gone to great lengths to delineate - as in the U.S Bill of Rights and the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights - for better or worse, the traditional understanding of justice also involves duties. The Church has somewhat avoided this language since Vatican II, largely to correct a prevalent legalism and Kantian understanding of morality as based in a purely detached obedience rather than virtue or natural law, but it remains integral to Catholic tradition. We are not only owed justice from others but we also have what could better be described as responsibilities - to our family, to our community and to ourselves, but most of all to God and to the Church.
This last responsibility is the true meaning of “religion” - the virtue of giving due honor to God. Many people today have a hard time grasping the responsibility side of justice. With the post-Enlightenment prioritization of freedom above all else and its common understanding as “the ability to do whatever I like without consequence so long as it does not hinder the freedom of others,” originating with John Stuart Mill, responsibility can seem to be a violation of freedom. I am certainly owed my rights by society, but why should I be required to give anything back? If my “right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness” conflicts with the “right to life” of an unborn child, which should take precedence?
Others will restrict responsibility to what human law demands - this was the error of Jesus's interlocutors in the Gospel today. Jesus did not say that purely human commands are invalid; states have the right to impose requirements on their people, as did the Jewish leaders. (Mt 23:2-3) Even more so, the Church, given disciplinary authority by Christ, also has this authority. (Mt 18:18) But for many people today, if I am a law-abiding citizen, respecting the rights of others and performing my duties, such as jury duty, paying taxes, conscription, etc., I'm a “good person.”
The true purpose of justice, as a virtue, is to perfect the person. By voluntarily choosing to give others what is due to them, we are perfected by ordering our actions, through reason, to the good. The sense of responsibility which attaches to an authentic understanding of justice is necessary; without it, justice devolves into mere entitlement, creating a culture of luxury and indifference, as we commonly see today, or one which bypasses responsibility through coercion, as in communist states. By contrast, in medieval Christendom, the Church did not only teach the rights of others but also inspired a “culture of responsibility” through the practice of religion, works of mercy and acts of penance. One of the greatest examples of this is the Crusades, in which thousands of Christians gave up life and property to go and fight the enemies of Christ, liberate Christians enslaved to infidels and defend the holy sites sanctified by Christ.
Modern man, whether Christian or not, rarely thinks of religion as a matter of justice, yet we cannot love God as we love humans, out of disinterested charity, precisely because, unlike our neighbor, He deserves our love, reverence, obedience and worship, not only interiorly by prayer and submission of the will, but also exteriorly, through good works and the sacramental life of the Church, since we are incarnate, ensouled bodies, as St. James made clear. The justice upheld by Moses and the Psalmist, as well as the description of religion by St. James and Our Lord, is greater than entitlement, including the neo-Pelagianism common in the Church today which acts as though we “deserve” God's gifts. Instead, Catholic tradition treats justice as a virtue, one which perfects us and makes us good by giving both God and man what is their due. In religion, this includes obedience to the doctrines and ordinances of the Church, such as attending Mass every Sunday, all of which are given as means for honoring God more perfectly.
This is why Our Lord included those who “hunger and thirst after justice” (Mt 5:6) in the Beatitudes: it truly makes us happy by delighting in what is good. But this justice requires self-sacrifice and humility, both of which are inimical to a world intoxicated with unlimited, anarchical “freedom.” Technology and wealth may give us power over the world, but only justice gives us power over ourselves, to do that which alone can make us happy: serving the good.
Another 'keeper'. Thank you Kaleb