St. Mary’s Academy of Sto.

Niño
STO. NIÑO SUBDIVISION, CITY OF MEYCAUAYAN, BULACAN
*PAASCU Re-Accredited (Level II) * CEAP and RVM-EAP Member

THIRD QUARTER
CHRISTIAN LIVING 9

MODULE NO. 5: We are for Justice and Peace

I. INTRODUCTION

I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the
wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:17)

When justice is brought up in a conversation, what usually come to mind are social
issues like how the poor are getting poorer or rich getting richer. At times, justice is being
discussed through debate of views on Marxism, communism, or liberation theology. It
could also be seen in students rallying in the streets shouting “Makibaka”, giving their
full effort to be heard by the government, and ending up going to the mountains to join
the rebellion, regardless of who among the administrators are running the show.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension:
it is the presence of justice.” We know that God's attributes work harmoniously. The idea
that justice and love conflict, is the result of the attributes being defined in isolation from
one another. In other words, in order to understand justice, we need to understand God's
love. In order to understand His love, we need to understand His justice.

While the demand for justice is implied in love, still justice attains its inner fullness
only in love. For in justice, the other person can remain “another”, an alien. In love the
other is a friend, even a brother or sister in Christ. (PCP II 305). Whether we like it or not,
when someone loves us truly, that person always makes sure to take care of us and
protect us with all of his life. To be loved in the way our beloved wants to love us, not in
the way we wish to be loved, sometimes could quench the fire of desire.
This module will guide you to the deeper understanding of Christ’s decree of love
that leads to true justice and real liberty that paved the way to everlasting peace.
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Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 1 of 10
 II. OBJECTIVES

In this lesson, you will learn:

Call for Justice and Peace: The importance of love in the view of
justice and the meaning and importance of justice in relation to peace.

III. CONCEPT SUMMARY:

● The Bible teaches that all these forms of love, when they are true and right, are
grounded in God himself. God is love. First, God is love within himself. Perfect love
characterizes the relationships of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All true forms
and acts of love stem from the nature of God’s love within himself. Then, God is
love beyond himself in creation. From the incomparable greatness of his love and
goodness, God decided to make the universe and care for all within it. As God’s
creatures, we are meant to enjoy, reflect, and express God’s love. In imitation of
God, we are to live in love through a right and good enjoyment of and care for
others and even ourselves.

● Justice and love are understood as distinct and even opposing values and aims.
On the one hand, justice is commonly depicted as harsh judgment, as punishment
without mercy. On the other hand, love is perceived as sentimentality where
wrongdoing is simply overlooked without consequence

● Justice is traditionally explained in three types: commutative – regulating

obligations between persons; legal – referring to what citizens owe the community;
and distributive – treating the community’s obligations to its citizens (cf. CCC
2411).
PRE-ASSESSMENT: Thinking It Through!
Killing and its evil effects on the victims continue to thrive in our modern world. What do
you think are the causes and effects of such chaotic killings in our society?
CAUSES EFFECTS

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Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 2 of 10
IV. LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Justice means that love must always be shown whether a situation of immediate
need presents itself in pressing and vivid fashion. Love in the biblical sense, then, is not
merely to indulge someone near at hand. Rather, it inherently involves justice as well.
This means there will be a concern for the ultimate welfare of all humanity, a passion to
do what is right, and enforcement of appropriate consequences for wrong action. Actually,
love and justice have worked together in God's dealing with the human race.
God's justice requires that there be payment of the penalty for sin. God's love,
however, desires humans to be restored to fellowship with him. The offer of Jesus Christ
as the atonement for sin means that both the justice and the love of God have been
maintained. The Gospel of Luke speaks of a person who responded to the call of the
Beatitudes on justice and peace.
Zacchaeus, the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10)
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing
through. A man was there by the name of
Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was
wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but
because he was short he could not see over the
crowd.
So, he ran ahead and climbed a
sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was
coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot,
he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus,
come down immediately. I must stay at your
house today.” So he came down at once and
welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this
and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the
guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give
half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will
pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this
house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek
and to save the lost.”
Jesus emphasized that salvation came to the life of Zacchaeus. The full truth about
man makes it possible to move beyond a contractual vision of justice, which is a
reductionist vision, and open up also for justice the new horizon of solidarity and love. “By
itself, justice is not enough. Indeed, it can even betray itself, unless it is open to that
deeper power which is love.

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All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
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Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 3 of 10
Justice – Part of God’s Character
“But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will
show Himself holy by His righteousness.” (Isaiah 5:16)
The everyday use of justice usually reflects a couple of important ideas. One has
to do with fairness – justice consists of fair treatment for people. People should be treated
basically the same. When we respond to discrimination with “it’s not fair,” we are speaking
of unjust treatment.
The other idea has to do with
consequences – justice means that
people get what they deserve for their
actions, whether good or bad. So we
say “he got what was coming to him,” or
“she got away with murder,” to sum up
whether or not justice was achieved.
But the Biblical concept of justice goes
beyond fairness and equal treatment. It
teaches that justice begins and ends in
God. It is not something humans
created or can fully achieve. When God
– who is just in himself – brought the
universe into being, he made it to be a
place of justice. Human beings were
made to live justly in relation to God, to
each other, and to creation.
This justice which comes from God is intimately personal. It is meant to serve
people, to foster their well-being. People, then, are at the heart of true justice. But justice
is not merely personal and individual – relationships are at the heart of justice. So in the
Bible, justice fundamentally has to do with right and good relationships. It describes
conditions – material, emotional, and spiritual – in which people flourish in right
relationships with God and with each other. When something damages or ruptures those
relationships, doing justice involves setting things right. In both senses, justice involves
integrity, wholeness, and wellness for people and their relationships
Justice is closely linked to shalom. Shalom means “peace,” but it is more than the
absence of conflict and wrongdoing. Shalom describes a state of material and spiritual
wholeness, wellness, and fullness for people, both individually and corporately. Justice
can be thought of as both a foundation for shalom and a result of shalom.
Yet humankind’s rebellion against God shredded the fabric of justice
and marred the state of shalom. People, relationships, and all of creation suffered.

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photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
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Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 4 of 10
Where justice had characterized life, now injustice had erupted and spread with
terrible and devastating results.
God’s response is to continue to enact justice in the world. God neither ignores
nor excuses injustice but hates it and its effects on creation. By establishing
moral law for all humans and a special covenantal relationship with Israel and
then the church, God seeks justice and calls us to pursue justice.

The Cross – The Uniting of Justice and Love

“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing
love.” (Psalm 33:5)
Having considered justice and love in relation to God’s character, we may
go back to one of the basic questions in this study and indeed in life, and ask, “Are
justice and love incompatible, or at best completely distinct?”
Because God is one, and because God is
both just and loving, justice and love cannot be
essentially incompatible or distinct. In God’s
character and purposes, they meet and agree.
Certainly justice and love are united in God. In the
world as God intended and created it to be, justice
and love were meant to be completely
harmonious, interdependent and mutually
reinforcing. In God’s good creation, justice is
meant to spring from love for God and for people
and to seek shalom for all people.
Correspondingly, love is intended to seek justice
and build shalom among people.
Yet the world is not as God intended it to
be. We are sinful and have fallen short of the
original goodness created by God. We ignore and
rebel against God’s good purposes and order,
thus marring existence for others, ourselves, and
the creation itself. God, however, has not
abandoned us in our sinful, fallen rebellion.
Instead, God has responded justly and lovingly to
overcome evil and to remedy the ills and death
resulting from our sinfulness.
In our sinful world, then, God’s justice and love take the shape of a cross, the cross
of Jesus. God does not ignore wrongdoing, evil, and sin. The cross truly and fully executes
God’s absolute and holy judgment on sin. At the same time, it also enacts God’s saving
love.

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All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
Academy, Sto. Nino.
Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 5 of 10
Living Out Justice and Love - Building up Better Community
Justice and love are qualities in God’s nature. They are integral to who God is and
what God does. God is just and loving, so he acts justly and lovingly in the world and in
our lives.
The challenge is how to live out justice and love in ways that mirror God’s nature
and achieve God’s purposes in our fallen world. Two important principles should be kept
in mind.
First, in the cross of Jesus we find that seeking true justice and love, necessarily involves
suffering. This is not suffering without hope but suffering to bring an end to evil and a
beginning to salvation.
Second, justice cannot be merely dispassionate, abstract, impersonal, punitive, or
vengeful. Love cannot be naïve and sentimental. God’s justice and love go through the
cross even as they lead to resurrection or restoration.
In what specific and concrete ways, then, can communities live out God’s justice and
love? They can do this through prevention, by offering support to victims, by use of
restorative and non-custodial measures for offenders, by provision of faith-based
assistance, and by efforts to reintegrate the offender into society.
1. Communities can and should try first to prevent wrongdoing and crime.
Communities, as well as families, should be sources of opportunity, hope, and care
for people of all ages, perhaps especially those on the margins, such as children
and youth. This hope has to be expressed tangibly through the provision of
services.

2. Communities can and should find means to hold offenders accountable in ways
that are as restorative as possible. In general, this would involve diverting many
offenders now sent to prison to non-custodial sentences such as community
service, fines, restitution, treatment (for drug, alcohol, or mental problems),
conditional discharges, and close supervision. In most countries this would require
transformation of public attitudes.

3. Then communities can and should seek to

reintegrate offenders into society. Possible
means include the following: community
contacts and support services for
individuals after they are charged and for
their families; community sentencing;
housing and employment following
completion of sentence; structured victim-
offender dialogue; and more.
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All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
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Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 6 of 10
The immediate goal for a community in its response to wrongdoing may be to restore
order and safety. (An example might be a neighborhood watch program.) This goal is
good. Yet, the deeper, long-term goal for a community is to achieve justice and love for
victims, offenders, and the community itself.
Church Teaching
Cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. . .. Release those bound unjustly, untie the
thongs of the yoke; set free the oppressed, break every yoke; share your bread with the
hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own. (Is 1:16; 58:6-7)
The Catechism for Filipino Catholics and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church explains to build a just society and be in solidarity with others.
Building a Just Society
But in stressing love we are not referring to the pious, individualistic “charity” of the
rich who give out of their superabundance, often acquired through unjust exploitation of
the poor. Rather, we are referring to a charity that “is never able to be separated from
justice” (CL 42). It is the love animating the Filipino Christian response to building a just
society.
The lay faithful are never to relinquish their participation in “public life,” that
is, in the many different economic, social, legislative, administrative, and
cultural areas, which are intended to promote organically and institutionally
the common good (CL 42).

Since we Filipino Catholics constitute

the great majority of our nation, we hold the
primary responsibility for building a just
Philippine society. Contrary to the commonly
voiced opinion that politics and public life are
‘dirty’ and to be shunned, PCP II “stands on
record to urge lay faithful to participate actively
and lead in renewing politics in accordance
with the values of the Good News of Jesus”
(PCP II 350).
This directive is in complete accord with the Church’s consistent teaching praising
the “work of those, who as a service to others, dedicate themselves to the public good of
the state and undertake the burdens of this task” (GS 75). John Paul develops this:
The lay faithful must bear witness to those human and Gospel values that are
intimately connected with political activity itself, such as liberty and justice,
solidarity, faithful and unselfish dedication for the good of all, a simple lifestyle,
and a preferential love for the poor and the least” (CL 42).
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All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
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Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 7 of 10
 But this Christian service of society and others in justice and love can never be
achieved on one’s own. PCP II points out that the problems of modern society are too
complex and interdependent. They must be approached through the moral and social
virtue of solidarity (cf. PCP II 294-96, 306). “Solidarity” here does not mean merely a spirit
of camaraderie or “team spirit,” or some vague feeling of compassion or good will. Rather,
it stands for a “firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good,
i.e., to the good of all and of each individual because we are really responsible for all”
(SRS 38). 1195.
Such commitment embraces both the object of social programs __ poverty and
injustice, promotion of peace on all levels, preservation of natural resources, and the like.
It also embraces the means __ outlawing the use of violence and the abuse of individual
person’s rights in the pursuit of the common good. Moreover, it extends internationally to
the interrelations between all nations (cf. CCC 2437-42).
CFC 1192-1195
Justice is a value that accompanies the exercise of the corresponding cardinal
moral virtue. According to its most classic formulation, it “consists in the constant and firm
will to give their due to God and neighbor”. From a subjective point of view, justice is
translated into behavior that is based on the will to recognize the other as a person, while,
from an objective point of view, it constitutes the decisive criteria of morality in the
intersubjective and social sphere.
The Church's social Magisterium constantly calls for the most classical forms of
justice to be respected: commutative, distributive, and legal justice. Ever greater
importance has been given to social justice, which represents a real development
in general justice, the justice that regulates social relationships according to the criterion
of observance of the law. Social justice, a requirement related to the social
question which today is worldwide in scope, concerns the social, political, and economic
aspects and, above all, the structural dimension of problems and their respective
solutions.
Justice is particularly important in the present-day context, where the individual
value of the person, his dignity, and his rights — despite proclaimed intentions — are
seriously threatened by the widespread tendency to make exclusive use of criteria of
utility and ownership. Justice too, based on these criteria, is considered in a reductionist
manner, whereas it acquires a fuller and more authentic meaning in Christian
anthropology. Justice, in fact, is not merely a simple human convention, because what is
“just” is not first determined by the law but by the profound identity of the human being.
The full truth about man makes it possible to move beyond a contractualistic
vision of justice, which is a reductionist vision, and to open also for justice the
new horizon of solidarity and love. “By itself, justice is not enough. Indeed, it
can even betray itself, unless it is open to that deeper power which is love”.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
Academy, Sto. Nino.
Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 8 of 10
Peace and Solidarity
Each of us is part of the human family and we are all interconnected and
interdependent. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions. We must see ourselves in
others and collaborate toward solutions. Solidarity is a recognition that we are ‘all in this
together,’ and is a commitment to strengthen community and promote a just society.
“Recognizing the escalation of violence in our world, and especially its impact on women
and children, we choose to act with diligence in the pursuit of peace and non-violence.”
Peacemakers have long held that peace is not simply and passively the absence of
conflict. Instead, peace is an active relationship characterized by cooperation, harmony
and the ability to address differences without resorting to violence.
`In a concrete way, depending on the contexts and situations, this can be done by
improving people’s lives by using all the means of social innovations and eradicating all
the causes that proliferate poverty in its various forms. In other words, our work of mercy,
can only find its fulfillment in the efforts “to organize and structure society so that one’s
neighbor will not find himself in poverty, above all when this becomes a situation within
which an immense number of people and entire populations must struggle, and when it
takes on the proportions of a true worldwide social issue.”
With these, we can confidently say that the God who gave his only Son
to reconcile and restore all things in heaven and earth to himself will
be satisfied with nothing less than true justice and love such as only
he gives. Therein shall God’s shalom flourish for people and
communities.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
Academy, Sto. Nino.
Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 9 of 10
 VI. REFERENCES

1. LYFE 9
2. HOLY BIBLE
3. CFC and CCC
4. https://bit.ly/2Kyi2ur
5. https://bit.ly/3hilbe6
6. https://bit.ly/38wEbRZ
7. https://bit.ly/3aItNcv
8. https://bit.ly/3mS9AUg
9. https://bit.ly/3hdqHyk
10. https://bit.ly/3pkqwnJ

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, mimeograph, photos, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without a written permission from St. Mary’s
Academy, Sto. Nino.
Christian Living 9_Learning Module 5_THIRD Quarter-Page 10 of 10