Love Goes Beyond Our Comfort Zone
Without love there will never be true justice, goods will never be shared between rich and poor, and there will never be attention to the life and specific needs of each man and woman.
The Word of Life for the month of January is taken from the first chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah. This sentence was chosen for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is celebrated throughout the northern hemisphere from January 18–25. The texts were prepared by a group of Christians from Minnesota, USA.1 The subject of justice is a hot topic. Inequality, violence and prejudice grow within a society that struggles to witness to a culture of peace and unity.
But Isaiah’s times were not so different from ours. Wars, rebellions, the pursuit of wealth, power, idolatry and the marginalization of the poor had led the people of Israel astray. The prophet uses harsh words to call his people back to a path of conversion and points the way to a return to the original spirit of the covenant God made with Abraham.
“Learn to do good; seek justice.”
What does it mean to learn to do good? It means that we need to be open to the idea of learning, and that requires effort on our part. Each day, there is always something to understand or something to improve: We can always start again if we have made a mistake.
What does it mean to seek justice? This is a treasure that we should desire and search for as the goal of our actions. Practicing justice helps us learn to do good because it means we understand better the will of God, which is our good.
Isaiah offers concrete examples. The people most preferred by God are the helpless, the oppressed, the orphans and the widows because they are the most defenseless. God invites his people to concretely take care of others, especially those who are unable to assert their rights. Religious practices, rites, sacrifices and prayers are not pleasing to him if they are not consistent with the pursuit and practice of goodness and justice.
“Learn to do good; seek justice.”
This Word of Life urges us to support others, have a watchful eye, and concretely help those in need. Our journey of conversion requires us to open our hearts, minds and arms to others, especially to those who suffer.
“The desire and the search for justice have always been inscribed in the human conscience. God himself put them in our hearts. But despite the conquests and progress made throughout history, how distant we are from fulfilling God’s plan! The wars still being fought today, as well as terrorism and ethnic conflicts, are a sign of social and economic inequalities, injustices, hatred… Though personal relationships may seem correct, without love and respect for the individual and attention to his or her situation, they can also become bureaucratic and incapable of providing decisive answers to human needs. Without love there will never be true justice, goods will never be shared between rich and poor, and there will never be attention to the life and specific needs of each man and woman.”2
“Learn to do good; seek justice.”
To live for a united world means taking upon ourselves the wounds of humanity and carrying out small gestures that can help build up the human family.
One day, J. from Argentina bumped into the principal of the institute where he had taught and who had used an excuse to force him to leave his job. When the principal recognized him, he tried to move away, but J. went towards him. He asked him for news, and the principal told him about his difficulties, that he lived in another city and was looking for work. J. offered to help him, and the next day, he spread the news among his acquaintances that he was looking for a job for someone. The response was not long in coming. When the principal received the news of an offer for a new job, he could hardly believe his ears! He accepted the job, deeply grateful and moved that the very person he had once fired had taken a real interest in him.
J. then received the ‘hundredfold’ because, at the same time, he was offered two jobs that he had always wanted since he started university. He, too, was amazed and touched by this concrete love of God.
Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life team
1 In 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA), George Floyd was murdered. This tragedy started a movement for the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
2 C. Lubich, Word of Life, November 2006
