It was a time when St Vincent de Paul, hailed as a saint even by a hater of religion like Voltaire, worked as a member of the Conscience committee (this committee was formed by Queen Ann of France for organising Church activities). Queen Ann had to promise, under heavy pressure from a Duchess, that the latter's son would be made a bishop. When the matter reached the Conscience committee, Vincent de Paul, realized the unworthiness of the candidate and strongly objected . He took upon himself the irksome task of informing the Duchess of the decision. The enraged Duchess threw a stool at him. Without losing his cool, St Vincent remarked, "Look! How a mother loves her son! "This is an oft-quoted incident to illustrate St Vincent's patience. But there is another side to his character that needs to be emphasized. Why did he have to ask for this insult? The only reason was that he had to stand for justice and righteousness.
The role of a Christian is a prophetic role. If so, every Christian is bound to be a prophet in the sphere of his activity. The battle for justice cannot be confined to the actions of a Vincent de Paul or the prophets; in the world of today where injustice and immorality reign supreme, Christians are called to be prophets and the greatest responsibility they have to shoulder is to remain steadfast in righteousness and to raise their voice in its defence. This was the mandate given to all the prophets. In the Old Testament we see a God who spoke against the injustice and evil prevalent in Israel and Judea. A God who spoke for the poor, the orphans, widows, foreigners, in times of oppression and exploitation. Do we not claim to be children of God? "You are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God"(Gal 4:5).
If we are children, not only do we possess the hereditary rights, but we also have responsibilities to fulfill. If we are not ready to fulfill our responsibility, what right have we to be children? The most important responsibility is to live free from sin and to help sinners to become children of God.
For those Christians who think that with personal sanctification their responsibility comes to an end, let the death of Jesus on the cross be the greatest example. While attaining personal sanctification, it is necessary to help others go along the same way. Why incur displeasure by pointing out others' faults? It is disgraceful to intervene in others' affairs. Therefore indifference is the best policy. But then, does not Isaiah say, "The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene" (59:16).
Looking at the women of Samaria, prophet Amos cried out, "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on Mount Samaria"(4:1). Prophet Nathan looked king David in the face and said, "You are that man" (2 Sam 12:7). The battle against injustice is seen not only in the Old Testament but also in the New. John the Baptist was brave enough to tell king Herod,"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife" (Mk 6:18). Jesus once called Herod a "fox"(cf Lk 13:32). The relentless battle against evil! We should not shut our eyes when we see evil.
Neither should we limit our efforts to fighting against unrighteousness. We should also see that justice and righteousness are brought about. Psalm 15 gives the answer to the question, "Lord, who may abide in your tent, who may dwell on your holy hill?" "Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart, who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbours." Does not Isaiah say in 1:12, "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen...wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice" (Is 1:15-17)
We have to love in act and in truth. If the fruit of prayer is not seen in action, whatever is the use of such prayer? Exhortation to do justice, without actually practising it in one's own life, becomes merely an exercise of the lips. Such situations are not rare today.
The battle for justice does not bring about any worldly benefit. John the Baptist had to pay for his courage with his life. Those who resisted justice were the ones who crucified Jesus.
"Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us"(Wis 2:12)
A day in 404 BC. A duel was taking place in a Roman city. A monk called Telemachus jumped into the arena and thundered against such entertainments. The audience, enraged that the source of their enjoyment was cut off, stoned him to death. But the voice of Telemachus disturbed the emperor's sleep. Soon after duels were banned in the Roman empire. Telemachus might be an imprudent man in the eyes of the world of today. Why should he have bothered when brothers took up the sword to fight each other? The followers of Jesus sometimes become the advocates of broad -mindedness when they see evil!
For those who observe justice, life is difficult. Today, for most people, love, gentleness and meekness are only to make life more pleasurable for themselves. At times it is not easy to distinguish between genuine virtue and pretence.
Yes, we do pray but even when praying we blame others. It is against those who justify themselves that heaven is closed. We may say, "Lord, in your name we ate and drank; we prophesied; spent many hours in prayer in your presence. " But the response may be an unexpected one. "Depart from me you workers of iniquity".
Perhaps those whom we ridiculed, judged rashly or avoided calling them sinners may be the ones who will be seated in Abraham's bosom.
What today's world needs is moral strength. If our children must acquire this moral stamina they must be brought up in the love of God. Only in the soil of love will justice flourish. Jesus has said, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven"(Mt 5:20). So let us try to be righteous our selves. Let us pray like Amos when he said, "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever- flowing stream" ( 5:24)