CHRISTIAN VIRTUE

We understand that at the end of the day, no matter how essential laws are, they
remain useless unless they are implemented by human beings. In the end, we
rely on how much human persons value the law, or value peace, for that matter.

When we value something, we are more than willing to keep it. We enjoy doing it
even if it requires much of our time and energy.

Values are defined as realities “prized by a person”. They may be objects,

principles, lifestyles, or relationships that we regard as desirable and that we
constantly prefer even if they demand sacrifice. When we constantly act upon
what we value, we are formed by it. It has become a habit. It becomes second
nature to us. This habit will eventually have the power to influence our moral
actions.

Good moral values lead to good habits. Good habits are virtues.

In working for peace, virtues are required. Working for peace demands not only
laws but the moral attitude of people to constantly choose to do the good and
develop virtues such as prudence (the ability to govern and discipline oneself by
the use of reason), justice, fortitude (strength of mind that enables a person to
encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.), temperance
(moderation in action, thought, or feeling), faith (complete trust or confidence in
someone or something), hope (feeling of expectation and desire for a certain
thing to happen), and love (an intense feeling of deep affection) which are clarified
and elevated by Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit. These virtues – especially justice
and love – are essential in building a peaceful community.

Justice

In a society like ours, where corruption, discrimination, and countless forms of violence
are common, justice is the most important thing in our country.

Justice is the deep dedication to treating others fairly. It gives all people the authority to
uphold the rights that are fundamental (guaranteed by natural law) and established by
society (civil law). It takes down the barriers to peace. It rewards those who uphold
human dignity and punishes those who harm peace.
 What is peace? - peace is where
we are free from any disturbance
or noise.

TYPES OF JUSTICE

Knowing these types of justice helps us identify how justice operates in complex human
relationships.

1. Commutative Justice - (Comes from the latin word “commutare”: com (with) +
mutare (change), which means to exchange one thing with another. It focuses on
the obligation of one person to another because of a specific relationship they
establish by reason of agreements, transactions, or contracts. Sometimes
commutative justice is called contractual justice because it regulates the
exchange of goods and services that takes place according to what is agreed
upon between parties. The goal is to promote equality between what is given and
what is expected in return as much as possible. This is easy to attain when it
comes to agreements over goods that can be measured. For example, the
amount of money spent on food preparation is easy to compute. So it is also
easy to determine if commutative justice is attained by the selling price of the
food. But when it comes to services, justice is largely based on what is agreed
upon by the parties involved. In a hairdresser-client relationship, for instance,
strict equivalence is hard to follow because the level of satisfaction of the client
and the quality of service rendered by the hairdresser are difficult to measure.
Therefore, justice is achieved when two parties both keep their part of the
agreement.

2. Distributive Justice - The interaction between society and its members is

controlled by distributive justice. This virtue requires society, through its
government institutions and leaders, to return to individuals what is properly
theirs. The burden is on the government to make sure that the people's needs
are met. The story of Lazarus and the rich man is a parable that can be said to
pertain to the global or national practice of distributive injustice. In our country,
Lazarus represents the majority of Filipinos. They are hungry and marginalized
while the relatively few rich, represented by the rich man in the Gospel, have far
 more than they will ever need. In this parable, Jesus teaches us that the
salvation of the rich and powerful (especially our leaders, who were given power
by the votes of the masang Pilipino), rely heavily on the justice they provide to
the poor.

The government, which is in control of the population, has a responsibility to

equally share responsibilities and rewards to all citizens. Because it would be
unfair to distribute money and responsibility equally in a community where some
people are wealthy and others are not, this duty goes beyond the simple
quantitative distribution of goods and services. Making the distribution equitable
and proportionate to the various needs and capacities of the people is what is
fair. In order to provide services like safety, excellent infrastructure, education,
and health, the government must set up the necessary structures and processes
and distribute the costs in accordance with the ability of the people to contribute.
For instance, the government may create a progressive taxation system (such as
an income tax) or share student tuition costs.axation (e.g., income tax) or
socialized tuition fees for students.

However, this is certainly a difficult assignment because one must take into
account both the limited resources available to the government and the demands
and abilities of the population. Calculating what is equal is a simple mathematical
process, but figuring out what is fair is a very difficult one. But it is exactly what
the government is required to do. It should be dedicated to justice by providing
products and services fairly to all of its constituents.

While the government is required to do so, it must also respect personal rights
and effort. The principle of fairness is taught by the Church. This means that the
government must let smaller groups, such as families and small towns, take
charge of their own welfare if they are capable and their efforts are legal. In other
words, the government should only intervene if the people are unable to satisfy
their needs in smaller groupings and should control their activities if they violate
the law. Justice is best served when all parties involved are empowered to
support themselves while keeping the common good in mind.

3. Contributive/Legal Justice - In following the principle of fairness, the Church

encourages all members of society to engage in economic, political, and cultural
life. It is everyone's responsibility to contribute to the betterment of their country.
That is why this type of justice is referred to as "contributive."
 The American Bishops issued a pastoral letter titled Economic Justice in 1986,
which linked justice to community involvement. According to the letter, we all
have a moral obligation to engage in socio political life because of our human
nature. In turn, society's institutions, systems, and structures must facilitate and
protect all members of the community's full involvement.

Furthermore, because this moral commitment is frequently defined and

measured in terms of people's loyalty to the Constitution, this sort of justice is
also known as legal justice. Contributive justice requires all citizens to comply
with the state's laws and activities on the idea that the state, with all of its laws,
policies, and programs, works for the common benefit. However, if particular laws
are truly limiting the pursuit of the common good, contributive justice requires us
to advocate for their change.

4. Social Justice - This type of justice also has to do with the relationship between
society and its members, but includes institutions, systems, and structures of society.
It is a fact that not only individual human beings can be guilty of injustice. There are
social structures that are unjust (structural sins). These arrangements make it harder
for people to live a dignified existence or make evil easy. Individual efforts are
undoubtedly required to resist the existence of these terrible structures. However,
history has shown that individual contributions, no matter how important, are
insufficient. Individual efforts are frequently insufficient to address the richness and
scope of structural and institutional inequalities. Their relative success generally
fades, and they provide no long-term answer to social problems. What social justice
demands is for individuals to band together and form institutions or structures to
address social issues. The emphasis is on structural injustice, which causes people
to suffer. The solution is not something personal or temporary, such as patchwork
repair. For example, if the problem is an unfair tax legislation, the solution can be a
reform of the law or an entirely new law (structural change).

Everyone is involved in the practical practice of social justice: leaders and

members, wealthy and poor. For instance, lawmakers should approve legislation
that addresses the socioeconomic needs of the people they represent. The
citizens have the power to organize themselves and exert powerful pressure on
the government. In other words, pursuing social justice requires making a serious
effort to change or establish social systems that will successfully advance the
interests of all.

One sad thing, however, is the poor's social participation. They do not have the
resources, skills, and opportunities that would enable them to take part in social
affairs. Poverty robs them of a lot of things, including the confidence to speak up
and demand what is rightfully theirs.

Truly, this is the big challenge of social justice. The poor must be given the
chance to actively participate in community life. They must be able to contribute
to and, at the same time, benefit from the community. Otherwise, the society
continues to be seriously threatened. Crime and violence occur when people are
denied their fundamental rights and dignity. Finding the root causes of crime and
violence is therefore crucial, especially those linked to the structural injustice of
poverty.