Justice has to yield to mercy

THAT’S right! At the end of the day, justice has to give

way to mercy. If we follow Christ, this is what we should do. In his

most unfair trial, Christ remained silent when he could have defended

himself abundantly. But he remained quiet and allowed the erratic

wheel of human justice to roll on.

            He did it only for one sole purpose—to redeem us. He had

to pay for the debt we could not pay. He had to assume all the sins of

men, die to them so that with his resurrection, we also would have a

way to recover our dignity as children of God if we also die with

Christ.

            Christ remained silent because it was his time to go, to

complete his mission. He just allowed himself to be treated with the

severest injustice there could ever be in this world—condemning God

through our own human system of justice. That is how much Christ loves

us!

            This is a point worth our serious consideration if only

for us to try to approximate that attitude. Yes, we need justice, and

full justice at that. But we have to understand that our justice can

only do so much. It cannot capture the whole dignity of man no matter

how bad a man may be. At the end of the day, it has to yield to a

higher virtue which is mercy.

            Our human justice can only do so much because even if

pursued with all the due processes involved, we still can not know

everything about the person concerned. At best, we can only judge on

the basis of what we know. Yet even in this, we always have a strong

tendency to overstep. We can go to the extent of executing a person.

            Besides, our human justice is usually instigated by anger

and the desire to make even or to have revenge with someone who may

have done us wrong. It is not totally inspired by charity. Some

self-interest dilutes it.

            Yet, if we look at Christ’s example, we know that Christ

offered forgiveness to everyone, including those who crucified him.

“Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they are doing.” He

found excuses for them, and continues to do so for all of us, because

each one of us is precious to him. Justice cannot have the last word

for us. It’s mercy that has the last word.

            If pursued with the mind of Christ, our mercy will allow

the full strength of God’s grace to work on us. Our mercy will embody

the very love of God for us. It will enable us to love everyone,

including those who give us problems. It will make us unafraid of

suffering for the sake of others. In fact, suffering becomes a genuine

sign of true love.

            We need to see to it that we learn how to be merciful the

way Christ is merciful with everyone of us. And everyday, we actually

are given many opportunities to live mercy that goes beyond justice.

            When we take the initiative to love and understand people,

irrespective of how they are and what they may have done, we are

already practicing mercy. When we are quick to disregard differences

and just work for the common good, when we try to find excuses for the

weaknesses if not the mistakes of others, we are clearly being

merciful.

            We should try our best to be above purely  human

considerations in our dealings with others, and just follow the

example of Christ. That way we would know how to make justice give way

to mercy.