“Those who are just must be kind…” Throughout the Sacred Scripture we are reminded that God is
both just and merciful. When we consider the justice and mercy of God we might tend to think of them as
two polar opposites. In justice God condemns but in mercy he saves. Many think of a just God as a
vengeful God who is full of wrath and a merciful God as a forgiving God who is filled with love. Of course,
everyone is hoping that God is in a merciful and loving mood when they encounter him in the final
judgment but we have good reason to believe, because of our sinfulness, that we will encounter God’s
justice which will expose us to his wrath. Properly understood, the perfection of justice in God’s judgment
is revealed as mercy and the depth of mercy revealed in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross fulfills the
demands of justice. In Jesus, truly God’s justice and mercy have kissed and become one.
Those who are called to be just are often those who are called upon to exercise power. Justice is
often exercised in judgment and demands recompense and exacts punishment. We have a tendency to
associate justice with power. Those who are powerful can demand justice. Conversely, we tend to
associate mercy with a kind of weakness. If you are meek and cannot exact justice then you must be
merciful and forgive. Our reading from the Book of Wisdom speaks about the power of God exercised in
judgment and points out how power attends God. Yet, God does not use his judgment in harshness to
condemn, even though he could understandably do so, rather, he judges with leniency and exercises
judgment in clemency. Justice does not limit God’s power but rather it focuses his power on his freedom
to choose mercy. Through his deeds of mercy he teaches us that, “those who are just must be kind…”
True power is demonstrated in kindness.
We tend to look at those who are mean to be the strong ones in our society. However, Wisdom tells
us that true strength and power are shown by those who choose to be kind. Meanness is often a mask to
hide fear and weakness. Kindness is a true act of power for it unites us to the power of God to transform
the world in grace and mercy. Kindness gives the gift of self and demonstrates that a person is confident
in their own giftedness and value. Acts of kindness have the power to transform people’s lives. Kindness
is evidence that God’s grace permeates a person’s entire being and overflows in acts of kindness. Those
who are powerful have a responsibility to use their power to perform acts of kindness and thus to
demonstrate and teach the kindness of God.
Kindness is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5,22). To be kind is to participate in the divine life of
God. When we put on Christ we put on kindness (Col 3,12) and the Spirit and peace of Christ dwells
within us. Kindness is a virtue that overcomes the vice of envy. When we choose to be kind and offer
acts of kindness to others we are truly living in the Spirit of God. Kindness is something that is written
deeply into our spirit by the Spirit of God.
Charles Kuralt in his book, On the Road with Charles Kuralt, asserted that, “The everyday kindness of
the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines.” In his travels to small towns
around the states he discovered the everyday kindness of the American people and recognized the true
power behind those acts of everyday kindness. Meanness, envy and greed might grab the headlines but
it is the acts of kindness that make us what we are today as the world’s most powerful nation. Kindness
is our true claim to greatness as a nation. To be kind is not to show weakness but to be powerful in
defeating the meanness of the world.
Today, take the opportunity to offer to God some random act of kindness to a person in need. A kind
word, a good deed, a helping hand, overlooking a fault all of these seem like small things in themselves
but they have the power to transform the world and to truly change people’s lives. Plant the small seeds
of kindness and watch them grow into the Kingdom of God and don’t worry so much about the weeds of
meanness that you see out there in the world. The seeds of kindness have been sown by the hand of our
Lord and will bear much good fruit.