Weekly Devotion for Monday, January 17, 2022
By Barbara Certa-Werner
But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5: 24
Justice. This word has taken on various meanings in our culture. I often hear, “well, I hope ______ gets what they deserve,” or “what comes around goes around”, and/or “karma.” Our culture has confused punishment and revenge for justice.
Justice is fairness, accountability, and above all, “loving our neighbors as ourselves.” If we truly love our neighbor, we seek:
- Food for the hungry
- Shelter for the homeless
- Healthcare access for all, including mental health services
- Accountability for harm
- Solidarity – standing together for righteousness’s sake
My reflections on justice, turns to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he said “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
As we honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, may we embark towards justice, seeking solidarity in our strive towards truly loving our neighbor and correct what is harmful so that “justice may roll down like waters.” Amen.