10.4.

1
GOD CREATED IN
PEOPLE A CONCERN
FOR JUSTICE
This chapter presents the following key learning points:
• God created within people the potential to love justly
• All people are members of the human family
• Just love leads to peace.

God created within people the potential to love justly

It is easy to see that justice is an important human
concern. Widespread human experience shows that
everyone likes to be treated fairly and justly, though
there are differing views on what is fair.

People can become very annoyed when they see injustices.

Everyone gets upset when they are treated unfairly. For
example, people get angry when someone steals what
belongs to them. They get annoyed when they see a
friend being treated unfairly. They feel upset if they see
people missing out because of other people’s greed.

Young children can be quite self-centred. ‘It’s not fair’

is a cry often heard when they feel that others are not
treating them fairly. They argue, cry or fight when games
are not played fairly, when someone cheats or if someone
takes something that is theirs. From when they are very
young, people show a basic sense of fairness, even if it is
self-interest that motivates their actions.

Journal Activity
Write about a situation when you saw someone
being treated unfairly. Describe how you felt.
Justice, 1998 (graphite and pastel on paper)
by Taylor, Stevie (Contemporary Artist)

YEAR 10 | COME FOLLOW ME 1

One sign of maturity is a growing
concern that others are being
treated fairly. It goes beyond
them to their family and friends.
Even if they treat others unfairly
at times, they become annoyed
if someone else does the same.
Likewise, young people may
argue with teachers, parents or
peers if they feel that a particular
person’s version of a story is not
being listened to.

Another sign of maturity is that

they can feel guilty if they do
something they know is unjust,
especially if someone else finds
out. They feel this guilt because
God has created human nature to
be just. Otherwise people would
have no regrets and they would
not care.

Many people actively seek to foster justice in society

In many societies, people are treated unfairly because of their colour, race, opinion, gender or
religious beliefs. Mature people become concerned at this unfairness, and try to do whatever
they can to bring about change.

They may join organisations such as those that are concerned with:
• the protection of the lives of the unborn
• the human rights of asylum seekers
• the rights of Aboriginal people
• the rehabilitation of law breakers
• the needs of single parents
• fair sharing of the world’s resources between all countries
• the release of prisoners whose only ‘crime’ is that they had different political views
from the government of their country
• care for the environment.

There are many examples in history of people’s basic rights being violated by those who are
more powerful. In some situations, people feel that they have been treated unjustly, and they
try to gain freedom to exercise their human rights through revolutions and wars. Many wars in
history have resulted from one nation violating the rights of another and the other wanting to
redress the injustices it has suffered.

2 YEAR 10 | COME FOLLOW ME

Human societies reflect degrees of concern for justice
All societies reflect some concern for human rights in varying degrees. For example, all have
some form of justice system, ranging from courts to village elders and leaders.

Each system tries to protect the rights of at least some of its people. For a society to be truly
just, however, it needs to protect the rights of all of its citizens, and not just some.

Justice is a sign of true love

People commonly show concern for justice. It is part of human nature as God created it. Every
day examples of people showing this concern can be seen in people’s homes, on the television,
in newspapers, in magazines and in history books.

Justice is a basic human value. It is a feature of truly human love, a love that is concerned for
the good of others. The development of such love is one sign of real maturity.

If a person’s sense of justice matures as created by God, two other concerns will also develop:
• concern for the rights of the Creator
• the growing ability to love others as members of the human family.

Respecting the rights

of the Creator
People realise that human nature did
not create itself, nor did the rest of
Creation. Ultimately they realise that all
creation is the work of God.

People see that they are dependent

upon creation for food, shelter and the
other necessities of life. This means
that their daily existence depends upon
the Creator who keeps all creation in
existence.

As they become aware of these things

people realise that the Creator has
special rights. This is one factor that
leads people to practise religion.
Religious people show respect for God’s
rights through worship and prayer and
by trying to live as God desires.

The religions of the world are proof

that many respect the just rights of the
Creator. Among them, Christianity is
unique. Not only do Christians know that
God is the Creator of all, but that Jesus,
the Son of God, became human as well.
He showed people how to relate with
Great crowds followed Jesus as he preached the Good News,
God and to live as God wants people to live. 2004 (w/c on paper) by Wang, Elizabeth (Contemporary Artist)

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All people are members of the human family
While there are differences between people in personality, race, physical and cultural values,
social position or financial status, all are human beings and all share the same human nature.

Part of growing into a mature human person and developing just love is to learn to recognise
that all people belong to the same human family.

For someone to see themselves as part of the human family means recognising that:

‘In our brothers and sisters, we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the
descendants of our ancestors; in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; in
the baptised, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or
daughter of the One who wants to be called “our Father”. In this way our relationships
with our neighbours are recognised as personal in character. The neighbour is not a
“unit” in the human collective; he [or she] is “someone” who by his [or her] own origins
deserves particular attention and respect.’ (Catechism 2212)

Recognising that people belong to the human family means recognising and accepting each
member of the human race as someone who is loved personally by God. It means seeing
others as individuals who love and are, in turn, loved by others.

In Class Work
Using the format of a family tree, show the relationships between the groups of
people described in the Catechism quote and how they constitute the human family.

What does this suggest about how people should live if they are to recognise their
responsibilities to the human family?

YEAR 10 | COME FOLLOW ME

People learn to love justly in their families
To learn to love others in the human family justly, people need to begin with those in their own
lives. They cannot really learn to be concerned for others whom they do not know, while they
ignore the needs of those they do know. These include the human needs for love and respect,
friends, encouragement, especially when facing challenges and respect for other’s property.

Young people can learn about how to treat other members of the human family from the
experience of life within their own families. Families use the resources they have to provide for
the needs of their members. They accept that each has a right to a share of these.

Parents provide for their children and other family members and share such things as food,
shelter, clothing and money for entertainment. Family members tend to stand by each other if
the rights of any family member are threatened by others from outside the family, or if they are
being treated unjustly in some way.

People show they have learnt that they belong to the human family when they do what they
can to ensure that the needs of other members of the human family are met and try to stand
by them when they need help.

As people mature, they grow in their awareness of the needs and rights of others beyond their
families and friends. They also become more concerned when others lack the basic necessities
of life. This is part of a person’s social development.

People need to go beyond appearances

To see others as members of the human family, people need to look beyond appearances. They
need to see what makes each a member of the human family like themselves.

It is easy to see the obvious, such as people’s colour, ethnic background, age or physical
abilities. People need to learn to look beyond these things and to see that, behind these
appearances, is a person just like themselves.

As people get to know the person behind the appearance, they learn that they share many
human characteristics. For example they each enjoy the love of people special to them, such as
parents and other family members. They have experiences that leave them feeling hurt and a
determination to protect those they love. They also experience similar hopes, disappointments
and needs such as for food, shelter, medical care and protection.

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Just love leads to peace
At times, trying to be fair can be difficult.
However, if they show just love by being fair they
find themselves becoming happier and more
contented. They are glad they have done the right
thing.

When people recognise the rights of others, not

only do they find themselves ‘feeling good’ but
their sense of justice gradually matures.

On the other hand, when people realise that they

have ignored others’ rights, it is natural for them
to feel guilty. Their guilt reminds them that it is in
human nature to be just. It prompts them to try
and make up for what they have done, and to be
more just in the future.

The human potential to love justly develops with practice, like physical fitness and other
human gifts. This potential develops as people seek opportunities to provide for other
members of the human family. Examples including giving to appeals for:
• blankets, canned food and clothing to organisations such as the St Vincent de Paul Society
• money to diocesan organisations such as Centacare (Broome and Geraldton), Catholic Care
(Bunbury) or Lifelink (Perth) set up to provide funding for social service agencies.

In Class Work
Research the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society or one of the social service
agencies supported by your diocese, e.g. Daydawn, Shopfront, Personal Advocacy
or Emmanuel in the Perth Archdiocese.

What involvement does your school have with these organisations? As a class,
decide on a project that you could undertake during Advent to assist one of these
organisations.

People realise that there cannot be true peace without justice. They notice that injustices
lead individuals and nations into tense situations. People who feel that they are being treated
unjustly often resent those they believe to be the cause of their treatment. This is evident in
media stories of protests, strikes, demonstrations, violence and even war. Feelings of injustice
are not resolved until there is negotiation and reconciliation. Many people today work hard to
promote peace at all levels – between nations, groups and individuals.

6 YEAR 10 | COME FOLLOW ME

Peace needs to be promoted
People know that peace is not simply the absence of war or conflict. It requires trust and good
will between people. In order for there to be peace, each person must love and recognise the
rights of others.

Peace is delicate, and easily disrupted. This happens when people feel that they are being
taken advantage of, or groups and nations feel that their basic rights are being denied. The
basic cause of behaviour that disrupts peace lies within people’s hearts. It is there that greed,
jealousy, distrust, pride and other forms of selfishness lead to people treating others unjustly.

‘For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge …’ (Mark 7:21)

Those seeking to mature by developing their inner potential to love justly continue to reflect on
their behaviour within their families, among friends, at school and wherever they may be.

Everyone needs to do what they can to keep working for peace. This means working to ensure
that all people including themselves are treated justly. To do this, people need to:
• face and try to overcome personal feelings of selfishness
• respect the rights of all, beginning with those they know and see in everyday life
• do all that they can to correct injustices at personal, group and national levels.

Journal Activity
Reflect on a time when you overcame personal feelings of selfishness to act justly.
Describe the initial situation and your feelings. What caused you to change? What
did you do as a result?

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Questions of the human heart
As a sense of justice grows within them, people become concerned whenever they see
injustices. These include injustices within families and other groups, within their own country
and in other countries.

They become concerned about a basic question that stirs within their hearts: ‘How can lasting
justice be promoted in the world today?’

In Class Work
Use the information in this chapter to answer the following:
1. Why is justice a sign of true love?
2. Name two organisations in Australia that support people living in poverty.
3. Explain what is required for true peace?

8 YEAR 10 | COME FOLLOW ME