Justice!

Micah 6:8

He has showed you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

Justice follows from Prudence as sunlight follows sunrise.  They are not the same virtue, but they are inseparable virtues.  Justice is not (contrary to popular opinion) "treating everybody the same."  Justice means (very sensibly) "treating equals equally and treating unequals unequally."  Americans have an allergy to the word "unequal."  But if we think about it, we have to admit that nobody thinks all people are exactly the same.  That's why we don't let five-year-olds vote and it's why we slap the hand of a two-year-old who punches his sister, but imprison an abusive husband who punches his wife.  In short, Justice is rooted in Prudence and Prudence is logically expressed in Justice.  Today, show justice in your dealings with family, co-workers and friends.

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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