How Justice Prevails
Quixote by Greg Scanlon
Some people see evil everywhere.
They talk of conspiracies and corruption as though it is impossible to find anyone who is honest, or who dispenses justice with fairness.
One of the commitments we make as deacons is to work for justice and that can be an interesting and challenging assignment. If we see injustice everywhere, where do we start?
The faithful have disappeared from the land, and there is no one left who is upright; they all lie in wait for blood, and they hunt each other with nets. Their hands are skilled to do evil; the official and the judge ask for a bribe, and the powerful dictate what they desire; thus they pervert justice. - Micah 7:2-3
In today's reading from Micah, we hear a lament. The prophet is filled with despair and he cries out that no on can be trusted.
Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a loved one.
When we get to this point, how can we work for justice and truth?
If I focus on the injustice in the world, or even in the society around me, I might find the task of climbing the hill of injustice insurmountable.
Sure, it is a sad situation one finds oneself in when looking at the world through dark lenses, but the constant barrage of shocking news headlines crafted to get our attention and keep us tuned in to the ad-bloated airwaves scatter the seeds of depression and despair everywhere.
So, what is the antidote? How do we stay positive and focus on the goal of bringing about right decisions and outcomes?
To be successful, I think, one needs to be a bit unrealistic, or at least a bit naive. Like classic movies, the story needs to have a happy ending and if we give up, that prospect is lost.
Throughout the Bible stories, the heroes never give up. They continue to press ahead especially when all seems lost or failure seems inevitable.
Faith propels them forward and in many instances, justice prevails.
It is only when we give up or give in that we let injustice win and we perish.
So, naiveté in hand, I trudge onward and look for opportunities to give aid to those seeking justice. Together, perhaps, we can overcome the inevitability of failure and tackle the windmills like Don Quixote.