“You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:32-33).
What they all have in common is that they are motivated by a call for some kind of justice.
Social justice is an important part of the Christian gospel. Liberation theologians refer to it as God’s ‘preferential option for the poor:’ God, and Jesus, always comes down on the side of the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, the disenfranchised. God never sides with the powerful over the weak. As Christians, we are called to work toward social justice, not just for ourselves, but for others.
If we understand the two great commandments as Jesus has put them forward, we understand that all our work for justice is empowered and enlivened by our love of God and our love of neighbour – true Christian justice is empty and impossible without it. By loving God with all our heart, we receive from Him the love and courage required to take the sometimes difficult actions that justice demands of us. Justice that is more than just an equation, but a living compassion and solidarity, requires the strength of the whole human spirit bolstered by faith in God’s justice.
Loving God with all the understanding demands of us that we ask ourselves what God desires of us when we pursue justice: “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). We are called to be reflective about the reasons why we seek justice, which gives us greater strength of conviction. We do not stand alone, but with God at our sides.
Loving our neighbour as ourselves demands of us that we work on behalf of causes that do not directly benefit us. It may be that sometimes we are called to work against our own interests for the greater good. No one ever said the Gospel would be easy.
These things – these loves – are more powerful than any activism for its own sake could ever be. Let us pray for and engage in justice for love of all God’s people.
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being of full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1-4).
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