Have you ever felt like your cries for justice are falling on deaf ears? When the woman of today’s Gospel (cf. Lk. 18:1-8) complains to the unjust judge, does she have any hope of gaining a resolution? Will she not be ignored while the abuses continue? Is she being righteous or just complaining? Compassion sees the person, not just the problem.
Stoking anger
Have you noticed how many people want to make us mad? I am not talking about ordinary annoyances that happen in our day-to-day experiences: things like coworkers leaving the coffee pot on the burner when it is empty or leaving dirty dishes in the sink. I mean much more how politicians and the news media present things in such a way as to make us mad about some issue. It makes us feel self-righteous to complain about things, believing that we are in the right and the other guys are in the wrong. Justice is about more than winning arguments. It’s about how we see the people we disagree with.
People, not Placeholders
It is too easy to divide people into categories of those we agree with and those we disagree with. As Martin Buber observed in I and Thou, true justice begins when we treat the other not as an obstacle, but as a “you” – a person with dignity – rather than an “it” to be opposed. When we reduce our opponent to this one dimension, we lose sight of the person’s deeper humanity. Justice never allows us to reduce a person to mere confrontation – we must always see his or her dignity. This forces us to overcome our tendency to judge rashly.
We tend to have an innate respect for justice and easily complain when we feel it is lacking. When we were little, we probably expressed this with the words, “That’s not fair!” Injustice often prompts someone to speak out against it. Injustice often brings hardship. What can we do in these situations? We get a clue from today’s Gospel.
A Desperate Plea
The woman of today’s Gospel seeks justice by presenting her case to the judge. She does not request special favors, but rather justice. The judge in the town neither feared God nor respected any human being. How often do we meet people like this? It can be tremendously uncomfortable. They attempt to impose their will while ignoring the fact that we are seeking peace and justice.
What can we do when we suffer injustice? This might come from family, a friend group, a professor, or a difficult boss. The unjust judge from the Gospel embodies the tension between authority and injustice, forcing us to confront the reality of unyielding power and its implications for our lives. Injustice leaves us feeling incomplete, even blaming ourselves for the situation we’re in. It takes a lot to make us speak out. It seems that the woman in the Gospel suffered a lot and was at her wits’ end when she finally confronted the unjust judge.
Choosing Between Fairness and Inner Peace
Sometimes, it feels that we have to choose between fairness and inner peace. (cf. Robert Puff, “The Art of Navigating Unfairness”) We can become discouraged when we realize that fairness and inner peace do not always go together. It can be costly to deal with confrontation. We fear the crucial conversations, especially when we have little hope for success. The hopelessness might be even more discouraging than the original problem we are trying to solve. What if your silence isn’t protecting your peace, but actually weighing you down more?
Different personalities tend to react differently. Some people explode in anger – embarrassing, yes, but at least they spoke up. Others keep it inside, and the silence can be even more painful.
What to do?
What can we do to fix an unjust situation? The first thing to do is pray. We should pray for humility. I know that I am proud and that I might be offended for the wrong reasons. Maybe, at the heart of the matter, I am less concerned with justice and more worried about my own hurt feelings. Second, I might consult with a friend or mentor. This should not be done in a gossipy way, but rather looking for guidance and getting help to see if I am overreacting. Third comes the hard part: we must act – even if that means choosing not to engage. The most obvious way of acting is to have a crucial conversation. We go to the person at the root of the situation and explain our experience. This should open a conversation that allows us to resolve the issue. If only it were so easy.
We have all had times where speaking did not make it better. Sometimes, the best thing is to let it go. For our own peace of mind, it is important to recognize this as an action and not merely resignation that leads to feelings of hopelessness and distress.
Persevering Faith
Faith perseveres when the world’s justice isn’t enough, trusting God to bring ultimate justice. Like the widow who refused to give up, we too are called to persevere – not only in speaking up, but in trusting that God hears us and acts in His time. Think this week about an unjust situation in your life. Pray with humility, consult with honesty, and then act with courage. Justice may not come as quickly as we want, but God never ignores our cries. Keep praying, keep trusting – He is faithful.
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