Monday of Holy Week
He will bring forth justice (Isaiah 42:3).
Throughout Holy Week we hear the Suffering Servant Songs of the prophet Isaiah. The primitive Church readily identified this Servant with Jesus. We are reminded that the Servant of YHWH will bring forth justice to the nations.
It is good, as we begin this most sacred time, to remind ourselves that we as disciples are charged to labor unceasingly to bring about the Kingdom of justice— the Kingdom of God. After all, we commemorate this very week that Jesus was executed because he proclaimed this Kingdom.
Above the cross was the charge, “King of the Jews.” The title above him and the crown on his head attempt to make a mockery of this King and his Kingdom.
How can we build on the Kingdom of justice that King Jesus came to bring?
We might familiarize ourselves with Catholic social justice teaching, rooted in respect for the human person: promotion of the family, the common good, subsidiarity, the dignity of work, the pursuit of peace, care for the earth, and the fundamental option for the poor.*
These principles, rooted in scripture and tradition, reflect the teaching of our popes from Leo XIII to Francis. However the heart of social justice teaching is making the actions and words of Jesus real today—to transform life for all in the light of the Gospel. The dismissal at every mass commissions us to do just that.
Let us keep this in mind during this week of weeks as Jesus falls victim to the Pax Romana, a victim of “might makes right,” a victim of “power over principle” where people are disposable and dehumanized.
How do we share in his mission to bring forth justice in the trenches where we live? Each one of us must honestly answer that question. Throughout this week of weeks we might pray, “Lord, show us the way.”
-Timothy J Cronin
*More info is to be found on the website of the USCCB.