A Cry for Justice; When Mercy is Abandoned

There is an almost deafening cry for justice nowadays. So many people feel like they have been treated unfairly. Certainly, the evidence of widespread child abuse, disproportionate incarceration along racial and ethnic lines, and all kinds of discrimination, are reasons for those who suffer to seek recompense. But is justice really what we seek? Too often those deafening cries sound more like angry rumblings for revenge.

When we desperately desire for those who have wronged us to get-what-is-coming to them, practically all notions of mercy are abandoned. There is a bit of the vigilante in the best of us. Isn't it strange that when we pray to God we always ask for mercy when it comes to our wrongdoings but never ask for justice. Mercy seems to be what we want for ourselves while justice is what we pursue for others.

The difference between justice and mercy is that mercy seeks forgiveness and justice seeks punishment. Both of them wish to make the victim whole again. Don't get me wrong. There must always be consequences to unacceptable behavior. Without rules, laws and impartial justice, anarchy overcomes societal order. I have served as an officer of the court, a probation officer, and a pardons/parole prison counselor. So I thoroughly understand the need for a system of judicial penalty. But maybe, just maybe, if we would first apply The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) the difference between justice and mercy might blur a little bit.

In the midst of current conditions while seemingly surrounded by chaotic suffering, we could easily miss seeing the presence of God in those who have wounded us. We must remember that when mercy is abandoned, the heavy hand of justice can destroy us as easily as any shadowy external enemy. May our guardians of justice always consider the flawed nature of all people and balance their decisions with fairness. May we, in turn be merciful as God is merciful to us.

Atonement; How to be at One

"I've decided to be loving and kind in the world.  Now...just hopin'...the world will return the favor." ~ Jermaine (a former LA gang member, now part of Gregory Boyle's Homeboy Industries)

Don't you wonder what life might be like if we all made the sort of decision that Jermaine made?

He became gentle and kind in a community which directed him to be otherwise.  Our misfortunes, wounds, ambitions, and desires ask us to judge and expect judgment.  We seek reparation rather than reconciliation.  Ultimately, we are led into darkness, becoming someone we would rather not be.

Paybacks and getting even are lonely ways to live life. This desire for in-kind justice can be a slippery slope requiring us to wait for the one who has injured us to get what is coming. My counseling office has hosted an overabundance of such unhappy people.  Both victims and perpetrators sit with me.  Each one has uniquely deep cuts and emotional scars.  All of them hope for some kind of karma (good or bad) to provide atonement.

So what about atonement? It's not, as many believe, paying for past wrongs, sins, and mistakes. Rather, it is being at one with yourself, your neighbor and your God.  At-one-ment.

This requires much effort in a tit-for-tat, quid pro quo world. 

Because you have to stop blaming others.  There is never someone else.  It is always me.  I will only receive atonement when I accept that I am connected with all of creation.  The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book says this well when a suffering physician tells the reader about his transformation:

"And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, It is because I find some person, place, thing, situation - some fact of my life - unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; Unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes." (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, page 417)

Acceptance is the key to finding God's abundance of unconditional, infinite mercy, and love. After everything is said and done, it is the path to at-one-ment for each of us.

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a·tone·ment

/əˈtōnmənt/
early 16th century (denoting unity or reconciliation, especially between God and man): from at one + -ment, influenced by medieval Latin adunamentum ‘unity’, and earlier onement from an obsolete verb one ‘to unite’.

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From Sea to Shining Sea

“Territory is but the body of a nation.  The people who inhabit its hills and valleys are its soul, its spirit, its life.” ~ James Garfield (20th U.S. President)

We are approaching the celebration of our national holiday which marks a bold declaration of independence followed by 242 years of struggle for freedom.  We are a nation becoming. This great experiment in democracy has overcome many obstacles, flaws, and shortcomings while never resting in a quest of liberty and justice for all.Is any amount of fireworks, colorful parades or waving of flags too flamboyant or dramatic on The Fourth of July? I think not. Independence Day is no small event. For it is not that we are just a great country.  We celebrate because we are a diverse and determined people who will not be satisfied.

In the words of the song for Ella Baker, “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”

Each year at this time we are welcomed back home from sea to shining sea with all differences set aside. Disgruntled people on the extreme right or left of our political spectrum for at least one day can stop their quarrels with the knowledge that our virtues far outweigh our shortcomings.

Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.

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