The WORD in other words (2006) by Father Eugene Docoy SVD – South Korea
Monday 11th Week in Ordinary Time
In a university where I once studied, a professor insisted that in the gradation of virtues, love is not necessarily higher than justice. In certain cases, he said, justice must be exacted first before we can even talk about love. He cited the Holocaust and the murders at Nanking, arguing that it would be meaningless to speak of love to survivors of such persecutions without first addressing justice. His point is valid, but an overemphasis on retribution risks undermining the universal application of both love and justice. After all, justice is not opposed to love, and love cannot compromise justice.
We can take the example of Jesus. He demonstrated how His love overpowers His sense of justice. By His death on the Cross, God revealed His absolute love. Jesus was the innocent Lamb of God who paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay (cf. John 1:29).
In the seminary, I was taught that in the gradation of virtues, love is always higher than justice. In today’s Gospel, Jesus refers to the Jewish law of retribution: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also” (Matthew 5:38–39).
This teaching may sound strange today. Many people exact justice not within the fold of law but as personal vendetta, taking matters into their own hands. In the Philippines, this has been tragically demonstrated by the deaths of numerous journalists who courageously exposed the wrongdoings of the powerful and influential.
Jesus’ teaching on love, then, has become more urgent than ever. If we are to achieve true peace and harmony, we must embrace love that transcends vengeance, a love that fulfills justice without destroying mercy. As St. Paul reminds us: “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).
