Mercy without Justice is Brutality

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  Micah 6:8

Now, before anyone supposes that I am suggesting that we shut all the food pantries in America and stop giving medical aid around the world let me dispel those ideas.  However, it might be helpful to understand what the terms mercy and justice mean.

Mercy is an immediate response to tragedies such as disastrous weather events like tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.  The recipients of such help normally, in time, will be able to reconstruct their lives to where they were before the disaster.  Justice on the other hand is about equity.  It not only restores persons but has a role in changing the system to make persons lives better.  For some reason it seems easier to do acts of mercy rather than acts of justice.  The reason for making issues of justice more difficult is that justice may require that we take a position that challenges our place in the social and economic order.  Let’s look at a hypothetical situation where this might happen.

Mrs. Betty O’neal is a loyal member of a Christian church in any town USA.  Every week she volunteers at a local food pantry and helps distribute food to those in the community who are poor and need the extra help over and above their salaries and government assistance.  Mrs. Lorraine Gonzales is a single parent with two children ages 8 and 10.  She works full time in a downtown office building as a janitor and makes $7.50 per hour before deductions.  She also works at McDonalds during the day for $7.50 per hour.  Her two children are home alone much of the time since their mother works sixty hours per week.  Ms Gonzales comes to the food pantry as often as is allowable to supplement her food budget.  The pantry, because of demand, can only provide assistance once a month.  Ms. O’Neal and Ms. Gonzales have a fairly good relationship and frequently talk about their families and their life challenges.

Today, Ms. Gonzales comes to Ms. O’neal with a special problem.  “Ms. O’neal,  you have always been so kind to me and I cannot think how to repay you and your church.  I feel ashamed that I have to take charity.   But you have never made me feel bad.  I have a special request today.  At the office building where I work the workers are ready to go out on strike for better wages.  We just can’t make it on $7.50 an hour.  I come home dead tired from two jobs and my kids have to fend for themselves.  The apartments we live in have some really seedy characters and i’m worried that something bad’s going to happen to them.  I’ve had to move twice in the last year because I couldn’t pay the rent.  If we don’t get a raise, I don’t know what we’ll do.  So, Ms. O’neal, here’s what I want to ask you.  Can you and your church help the workers in my building while they’re on strike?  I don’t know what that would look like but being able to get food from the pantry more than once a month would be a big help.

If you were Ms. O’neal and a good church member, what would you do?  For Ms. O’neal and her congregation Ms. Gonzales’ question presents a confrontation with an issue of justice.  What alternatives might Ms. O’neal and Ms. Gonzales take to address the issue.

But why do I say that this has elements of  brutality to only continue with doing the same thing as in the past?  Certainly, the food bank is important to the people getting the food.  But it is wrong on several levels.  First, scripture says to “do justice”.  So, we are called to do more than just give mercy or charity.  Secondly, it does nothing to get persons out of poverty.  The unfortunate truth about the poor today is that without fundamental changes in education, wages and employment they will remain in poverty and the probability is good that their children will grow up in the same trap that their parents are in.  But the most insidious effect of such merciful work is that we as the those who provide the aid often consider ourselves righteous for providing food which will only last a little while,  and at a different level harbor negative feelings about those who receive the help as being dependent and indolent.

For every mercy strategy there should be a justice strategy attached.  After giving mercy help, how will we as part of the system ensure that persons finally get out of the cycle of poverty.  Because as a nation, going back over 400 years we have developed a system that often helps maintain persons in poverty and isolation.  In the development and implementation of acts of justice, it must include all phases of the system including those who will be directly involved, the poor.  And changes must not just be piecemeal.  As Pope Francis stated in his Christmas homely,  “we must place ourselves at the service of the poor.”  Not only must it not be piecemeal, but it must be sustained for at least a generation.  And lastly, we must learn from our mistakes and refrain from politicizing the process.  If we have been able to put men on  the moon, we certainly should be able to accomplish this.

Even though the probability that Ms. O’neal’s congregation getting out on the picket line is slim to none, the situation may give Ms. O’neal and Ms. Gonzales the opportunity to get others from the congregation and some of the workers in conversations about what it’s like trying to make ends meet on $7.50 and hour as well as having conversations on how to better one’s life.  Conversations are only the beginning and need to result in further action.