Justice and Mercy
A few years ago, there appeared on the Internet the following story about two friends who had not met for several years. It is a story about justice and mercy.
The two man had been the best of friends during their early years; nothing seemed to separate them. Then over a period of time, they gradually began to shape their lives differently. One attended college and law school, eventually becoming a lawyer and subsequently a judge. The other migrated into a life of crime; he became an accomplished thief and conman.
Eventually the thief was caught during one of his acts of thievery and brought into court for trial and possible punishment; his old friend happened to be the judge. The thief was immediately recognized his old friend. Although the judge wished him well, he knew that justice demanded that he had the obligation to render a fair and just verdict on his friend. Thus when the time came to render a verdict, the judge pronounced “guilty” as the judgement; he also placed a substantial fine as the penalty on his friend. Justice was served. Unfortunately, the thief did not have the means to pay the fine so he would have to serve a lengthy jail sentence. Aware of his friend’s limited finances, the judge stepped down from the judge’s bench and, as a private citizen, he proceeded to pay his friend’s fine, enabling him to avoid jail time. Both justice and mercy were served.
In his gospel St. John describes the incident of the adulteress who was threatened with stoning to death for her sin of adultery. The accusers of the woman prompted Jesus Christ to partake in the stoning of the woman; Jesus asks the assembled crowd if anyone among them was without sin and thus prepared to be the first one to stone the woman. When no one came forth to cast the first stone, Jesus announced to the woman. “Since there is no one to condemn you, then neither do I.” This story is quoted frequently as a reminder of God’s great mercy; His mercy seems to be unlimited. However, there is one thing that many people forget to mention in discussing the account of Jesus’ mercy; it is his parting advice to the woman. “Go and sin no more.” Jesus is magnanimous in his mercy, but he balances this mercy with justice. He seems to be saying, “I forgive you completely, but change your life to avoid sin.”
As a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, God’s justice demanded that they and all their descendants be denied access to God….a hellish separation. But God so loved humanity that he satisfied the demands of justice for the sin of Adam and Eve through the suffering of his son Jesus Christ. Both God’s justice and mercy were realized in the life and death of Jesus.
Justice and mercy are two sides of the same coin; they belong together. In addition, all mankind must vigorously avoid sin after receiving forgiveness.
Suggested Reading:
Cardinal Angelo Bascagno comments on the relationship of justice and mercy in this 2008 speech to the Italian Bishops Conference. www.ewtn.com/library/BISHOPS/justmercy.HTM
Pope John Paul II reviews mercy in his 1980 encyclical “Dives in Mesericordia” at w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul–ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp…