The Evangelical Pope | Justice, the Chief Desire of the Mind

Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark socio-economic resolves through justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion; in short, love.

               ¹⁹ For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

               __ Genesis 18:19 (New International Version)

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Dear Lord,

Let the warring tribes become more neighborly, that each from their perspectives become a light among nations to praise and glorify the one God of our Abrahamic faiths; to honor our common ancestor, the Patriarch Abraham, to whom You entrust the Covenant conditioned upon "righteousness and justice" without which there is no Promised Land. (Genesis 18: 19).

Amen

The Editor

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Cottonera, Malta Saturday, 26 May 1990 | Justice is a chief desire of the mind. Systems based on falsehoods about the spiritual nature of humankind and human relationships cannot be sustainable. Only the dignity of the human person can lay the foundation for a social system that establishes genuine human connections and advances mutual understanding, dialogue, and cooperation. There can be no other way forward in a world of increasing interdependence.

Dear friends, I invite you to:

Say No to injustice at every level of society!

• Say no to individual and class selfishness that seeks its interests without concern for the common good of society as a whole!
• Say no to materialism, which deadens conscience and the spiritual dimension of life!
• Say yes to new solidarity between all workforce members, workers, and employers, between the world of work and the whole of Malta's people!
• Say Yes to the complete material and spiritual development of every inhabitant of these islands, with special provision for the poorest and neediest!
• Say YES to God's plan for creation and his Truth, written like all things and the depths of the human heart!

In union with Jesus Christ, your work and efforts to transform the world take on the quality of a sacrifice pleasing to God. By offering "what earth has given, and human hands have made," you prepare the way for God's kingdom. That is the most profound meaning of your labor.

Excerpted from:

Address of His Holiness John Paul II to the Workers of Malta, Saint Margherita Square, Cottonera, Saturday, 26 May 1990
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1990/may/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19900526_cottonera.html