Peace and justice
Lisa Shend’ge was prompted to reflect on peace and justice by an address she gave for The Women’s World Day of Prayer last year.
As a Quaker, I am convinced that each one of us is ‘unique, precious, a child of God’. If that is so, then, surely, the world should be a peaceful, just and fair place for every one of God’s children, whoever and wherever they may be. Martin Luther King said: ‘Without justice there can be no peace.’ I believe that to be true, that if we are to have peace, we must have justice. What does that mean? What is justice?
Justice is often defined as fairness. We all, both young and old, understand the meaning of fairness. We all have that sense of natural justice that makes us cry out when we think something or someone is not being fair. We all want to be treated with fairness and justice. All over the world, fairness is elusive. Peace and justice only dreams. The problems people face must seem insurmountable but they persevere and have achieved much already, although there is still so much more that needs to be done and both perseverance and faith are essential.
Prayer
In The Old Testament, Habakkuk says ‘O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?’ He complains bitterly to God because he can see that corruption is rife and that justice does not prevail. He struggles to understand why God keeps silent when the wicked appear to thrive. Through prayer, however, he can accept the situation and, with renewed faith and an inner strength, trust that God is in control and that justice will prevail – in God’s good time.
But it can be so hard to do that; so hard to rest in the Lord and to believe, as Mother Julian of Norwich assures us, ‘all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well’. But what about us? Do we live in a peaceful, just and fair society? If not, then what are we doing about it? What can we do? Where can we start? Well, Mohandas Gandhi once famously said: ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’
The challenge is clear. We need to have courage, compassion and active engagement. As Christians we are called to act to bring about change in the unjust world in which we live today. It can be very tempting to leave the struggle for justice to those who are strong enough to be able to challenge those who are in control. But what about the rest of us? What should our part be in all this? John Milton reminds us that ‘they also serve who only stand and wait’ – in the Light perhaps?
Regarding justice
In Luke, there is the parable of a woman who comes before an unjust judge. This judge continually says no to her requests for justice but, eventually worn down by her persistence, grants her the justice she seeks. Clearly, there is a lesson here that persistence pays off – even when the judge is an unjust one. I am particularly struck by this reference to the unjust judge. Until recently, I was a judge in a magistrate’s court and still sit in other jurisdictions. When I was sworn in (or, in my case affirmed) I solemnly promised that I:
‘Will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second in the office of Justice of the Peace, and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of this Realm without fear or favour, affection or ill will.’
This was quite an undertaking and I find it essential to bring to mind the bit about ‘fear or favour, affection or ill will’ on a daily basis. Judging in a court of law and elsewhere can be rewarding, difficult and demanding. It can also be frightening and my fear is not lessened when I recall the words of The Sermon on the Mount ‘Judge not lest ye be judged’.
In the first century AD, Philo wrote ‘a judge must bear in mind that when a judge tries a case, he must remember that he himself is on trial’. I am sure this is so and it is very important to me. I do try very hard not to be an unjust judge but a just and fair one. And that applies not only to my work but also to my daily life.
I believe that we can all actually be described as judges in one way or another. Each one of us has to make umpteen decisions every single day of our lives. We have to weigh up the evidence before us so that we can arrive at a fair and equitable decision or judgment. Some of our decisions may be small and relatively trivial, while some are much greater, but each judgment we make has the potential for good – or not. Of course, none of us would want to be unjust in any of our judgments but it can be so difficult to know and to do what is right and for the right reasons.
Daily life isn’t straightforward and there is so often room for doubt. I am sure that we all have doubts. I certainly do but at those times I have to cling to my faith that with God, all things are possible and that our Lord can and WILL make sure that all things will be well – but in His own time and in His own way.
A modern Quaker (Gordon Matthews, 1989) said:
‘We need both a deeper spirituality and a more outspoken witness. If our spirituality can reach the depths of authentic prayer, our lives will become an authentic witness for justice, peace and the integrity of creation, a witness which becomes the context for our prayer. Out of the depths of authentic prayer comes a longing for peace and a passion for justice. And our response to violence and injustice is to pray more deeply, because only God can show us the way out of the mess that the world is in. And only God gives us the strength to follow that Way.’
Do justly
I am always inspired and delighted by the words in Micah 6: 8: ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?’ This, to me, is what it’s all about.
We are all humble learners in the school of Christ. Let us join together in work and prayer so that we will be able to become the change we want to see in the world. Let us together learn to pray more deeply and to hear and try to obey God’s call to be instruments of justice in our troubled and unjust world. Above all, let us have faith that justice can and will prevail – even if it does not happen quite as quickly as we would wish.
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