Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
To Engage Lent, Embrace Justice

To Engage Lent, Embrace Justice

Last updated on: March 4, 2025 at 8:13 am by Henry Karlson

0 Comments

To Engage Lent, Embrace Justice 2025-03-04T08:13:16-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Jim Womack and Anne Richardson: Libra As Justice Holding Scales – Vanderbilt ACT / Wikimedia Commons

Pope St. Leo the Great exhorts Christians to take their Christian faith seriously, to be true children of light. We are expected to follow the ways of love, not only doing what love suggests we should do, but also what it tells us not to do. In this way, we should learn that love and justice and interdependent with each other, which means, the denial of one leads to the denial of the other:

We encourage you to “abstain” in love, “from every wicked deed” and to pursue chastity and justice. Children of light ought “to cast off the works of darkness.” So turn aside hatred, deflect lies, dispel pride with humility, wipe out avarice through generosity. It becomes the members [of a body] to be compatible with their head, so that we may deserve to share in the blessedness he has promised, through the Lord. [1]

Hatred, lies, pride, and avarice each represents a form of injustice, and so, forms of unlove. Some might question the way lies are seen as intrinsically evil, saying that the intention behind the lies are important. Indeed, they might suggest people could even lie, not as a way of rejecting the way of love, but to affirm it, as can be seen in the way those who lie in order to save the vulnerable from oppression, or worse, death. St. Augustine, who explained why lies are intrinsically evil, also agreed with this point; but what he suggested is that we distinguish the good intention and the work which it achieves from the lie, pointing out the good is something which we can and should praise. Similarly, he said, the type or quality of evil associated with the lie can differ from person to person, and lie to lie, so that some lies are relatively minor, while other lies can be and should be seen as producing great evil. Thus, when Scripture seems to praise those who have lied, doing some good with the lie, he suggests it is not the lie itself which is praised, but the good which is done, and the intention behind that good, even as the error in the lie itself can be so slight, that it is almost negligible. When we talk about hate, we must also understand what is intended by the word; if we mean the pure malice associated with the denial of love, such hate is indeed a grievous sin; however, we can talk about hating something, like some evil, and in doing so, actually not really embrace unlove but its opposite, and in this way, such hate must not be understood equivocally with the sin which is known as hate. We should pursue what is right and just, that is, what is good and true, promoting not just any kind of justice, but the justice which is founded upon the revelation of love given to us by Jesus Christ: “Now, justice is faith in God through Christ, and love of God and one’s neighbor.” [2]

Love for our neighbor is important. If we love them, we will do what we can to promote them, their personal dignity, so that they can attain what is good and just for themselves. The more they suffer some injustice, the more they are hurt by the effects of various systemic structures of sin, the more we will work on their behalf, doing what we can to help them obtain the justice they lack:

Justice is something about which we should be passionate, for it is essential to a fulfilled life and social flourishing. In the Bible justice appears again and again as the vindication of the poor and the oppressed. They can turn with confidence for redress to God and to those who seek to follow in the way of God. [3]

Laura Swan gives a good representation what this means in practice:

Justice encompasses the acts, structures and systems that affirm, support and defend human dignity and worth. Justice affirms, rather than diminishes, the worth and dignity of all. Justice encourages the pursuit of one’s fullest potential as well as the potential of those around us. A justice-oriented life pushes forth to pursue that potential. Justice demands a stand of intense interior listening and awareness of the vulnerable who are in need of protection.[4]

It is imperative that we do more than contemplate justice, we must act upon what we learn. We must do our part, taking the grace we receive from Christ, and the justice it brings to us, and share it with the world, doing what we can to make the world a better place. We must follow the example of justice revealed to us on the cross, where what is unjust is brought to the open and then cast away into the abyss. That way, what was impeded by sin and injustice can be set free and made new. Divine justice, and so true justice, is not punitive, but restorative. To be sure, in the restoration which comes with true justice, there will need to be the revelation of injustice, where injustice is denounced and rejected. Without metanoia, there will be no restoration, just as without the cross, there is no resurrection from the dead. This is something which we need to understand as we go into the Great Fast, into Lent. We must seek justice within, casting aside all injustice, using the Great Fast as a time to contemplate our failings and to do penance, to begin paying back to the world the restitution it is due as a result of our sin. Then, we should take the grace which is made available to us as we cast aside our own injustice, and the sinful habits it has created in us, and use it, not only to better ourselves, but to better the world around us; if we do not do that, we remain entangled with the kind of selfishness which undermines justice and as such, we find ourselves far away from the justice God intends for us to possess.

[1] St Leo the Great, Sermons. Trans. Jane Patricia Freeland CSJB and Agnes Josephine Conway SSJ (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 1996), 138 [Sermon 32].

[2] John Colet, “On the Sacraments,” trans. John B. Gleason in John B. Gleason, John Colet (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1989), 317.

[3] Duncan B. Forrester, “Social justice and welfare” in The Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics. Ed. Robin Gill (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 198.

[4] Laura Swan, Engaging Benedict: What the Rule Can Teach Us Today (Notre Dame, IN: Christian Classics, 2005), 140.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

General Christian

Previous Post

March 2, 2025

Preparing For Lent: Embracing Forgiveness And Justice

Next Post

March 6, 2025 Women’s History Month: A Call To Amplify Women's Voices

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Gosh, did that hit the spot. I have been having great anxiety lately. And I ..."

Mark Wilson

Rejecting Doom: Christian Hope And Human ..."

"Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. Where there is justice, there ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Thank you for your very, very powerful and very, very insightful analysis of the relationship ..."

alwayspuzzled

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Given the amount of lethal malevolence that has prevailed in human history for the past ..."

alwayspuzzled

We Must Value Our Health

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz