When we are hurt or perhaps injured, we often feel rather bitter and resentful, when we feel this, its hard to get rid to those feelings even if that’s what we want. To overcome this, Christians must remember that forgiveness is an aspect of love of neighbour. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, ‘The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbour in his spiritual and bodily necessities.’ This emphasises that forgiveness is an aspect of love.
The Catechism tells us that, ‘Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbour.’ This tells us that justice is a kind of fairness, its giving to others what is their right. Justice is a basic way of putting into to practise the command to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. You would not want your neighbour to steal your possessions, so you should not steal the possessions of your neighbour. ‘You shall not steal’, this is the seventh commandment and it ‘commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labour.’ The Catechism tells us here that it’s for the sake of common good to respect the right to private property.
In today’s world there is a clear lack of justice. It’s a well known fact that the resources in the world are unequally shared out. In many areas the rich are getting richer and the poor are becoming poorer. There are more than enough resources to go round the world, but 80% of the world’s population have 20% of the recourses, and 20% of the world’s population have 80% of the recourses. This is a serious injustice in the world today and its not getting a whole lot better for some LEDC’s.
Reconciliation is a restoration of friendship, and friendship is something mutual. I may be a friend to someone, but if he does not wish to be my friend, there is no relationship between us.
