Even when I feel empty and overladen with problems, I discover God's merciful grace, God's very life, streaming into my soul every morning. Once again, I can say "Oh my God, I trust in You." I trust that my God lives IN me, my God lives WITH me, to forgive me, encourage me, strengthen me, enlighten me.
And, every day, God's Uncreated Light streams through me and teaches me more about the depth and breadth of what Divine Mercy really is. So often, in our minds, we think that our problems, our nation's problems, and our world problems could be solved with more justice. Justice, in our minds, so often equates with a trial, a group of witnesses, a determination of guilt, a sentencing, and a rigid punishment. In our own minds, we know exactly which people need a bigger dose of justice.
But - do we want God to treat US with our own idea of justice, which is often severe and linked with punishment? Do we want God to be hard on us for our sins, our youthful mistakes and misunderstandings, our indiscretions? Wouldn't we prefer a merciful God Who forgives us and gives us hope that we can become better, more faith-filled human beings?
Today our personal lives and our country's life are impacted by cries for justice, for an end to racism and police brutality. We hear cries for justice for black and brown people who have died at the hands of police. We remember that our God is a God of Justice, Who freed the enslaved Israelites, Who is invoked by people suffering injustices across the planet. But our God is also a God of Mercy. Can every tragic situation be totally resolved by our narrow American criminal justice system which often leaves an empty void between offender and victim?
Currently we hear cries for justice for the family of Breonna Taylor, the innocent, young black woman inadvertently killed in a barrage of police bullets that entered her home after her boy friend shot once through a door. The Grand Jury transcript reveals conflicting memories of what actually happened. The police officers insist that they called out, identifying themselves, before they used a battering ram to enter. The boy friend insists he and Breonna heard nothing to identify who was outside their apartment. The boy friend, to defend himself and Breonna, shoots one bullet through the door, seriously wounding one officer. The police, seeing an officer is down, is wounded, shoot back multiple times.
Grand jurors have so far indicted one police officer on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing wildly so that bullets entered a neighboring apartment. The two officers whose bullets killed Breonna are not convicted of charges because they were judged to be firing in self-defense because of the boy friend's one bullet. What emerges is a scene of confusion, shadowy figures, and terror - terror-filled Breonna and her boy friend, and panicked police officers who mistakenly think the man inside has an assault rifle.
But - how can our very narrow, punishment-oriented criminal justice system
help heal the wounds of an anguished family crying out for a dead daughter? And how can this criminal justice system aid two officers who shot, terrified, in self-defense, yet know they took an innocent human life? Can all these wounded people heal separately from one another?
Our American criminal justice system, devoid of any spirituality elements, focuses only on punishing certain defined acts and individuals, rather than on helping and healing an entire community. Yet God looks upon us as a human family, a family whom He aids to heal and re-connect with one another through both justice and mercy.
Native American tribal justice systems differ from the American criminal justice system because tribal elders use a holistic philosophy of justice which focuses on revealing problems and re-connecting and healing everyone involved. In other words, this system focuses on both justice AND mercy. In "Indigenous Justice Systems and Tribal Society," Ada Pecos Melton writes to explain the philosophy of tribal justice systems:
"The holistic philosophy is a circle of justice that connects everyone involved with a problem or conflict on a continuum, with everyone focused on the same center. The center of the circle represents the underlying issues that need to be resolved to attain peace and harmony for the individuals and the community. The continuum represents the entire process, from disclosure of problems, to discussion and resolution, to making amends and restoring relationships. The methods used are based on concepts of restorative and reparative justice and the principles of healing and living in harmony with all beings and with nature.
"Restorative principles refer to the mending process for renewal of damaged personal and communal relationships. The victim is the focal point, and the goal is to heal and renew the victim's physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. It also involves deliberate acts by the offender to regain dignity and trust, and to return to a healthy physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual state. These are necessary for the offender and victim to save face and to restore personal and communal harmony.
"Reparative principles refer to the process of making things right for oneself and those affected by the offender's behavior. To repair relationships, it is essential for the offender to make amends through apology, asking forgiveness, making restitution, and engaging in acts that demonstrate a sincerity to make things right. The communal aspect allows for crime to be viewed as a natural human error that requires corrective intervention by families and elders or tribal leaders. Thus, offenders remain an integral part of the community because of their important role in defining the boundaries of appropriate and inappropriate behavior and the consequences associated with misconduct."
In the Breonna Taylor situation, who is the victim? Instinctively we say Breonna Taylor herself, because she was innocent and did not deserve to die. We also see her family and friends as victims because they have been grievously wounded by her death with a pain they will endure for the rest of their lives. But - I suggest that our God of Mercy would say that the two officers who killed her are also victims. They did not mean to kill an innocent bystander without a weapon, and they will suffer emotionally and spiritually for this action for the rest of their lives. Killing someone will make them feel isolated from the human community. Everyone involved in this tangled, treacherous situation needs help and hope and healing.
Seriously, what would happen if this family and these two officers who killed Breonna Taylor "went through" this Native system of justice and mercy? The officers would be considered offenders because someone has died. They would be helped to achieve inner peace and harmony, as would Breonna's family, through a series of acts which are steps towards healing for everyone involved. These men would be urged to make amends through connecting with this family, through apology, through asking for forgiveness, through making restitution, through engaging in acts that would demonstrate a sincerity to make things right. Breonna's life on this earth can never be restored. But would it not soothe her family's hearts to hear "I'm sorry! I did not mean to kill your daughter!" Would this family, through this kind of process, perhaps even eventually be able to forgive two men who did not mean to kill Breonna?
Pope Francis reminds us
“In the divine attitude justice is pervaded by mercy, while the human attitude is limited to justice. Jesus exhorts us to open ourselves with courage to the power of forgiveness, because we know that not everything in life is resolved with justice. There is a need for that merciful love… How much suffering, how many lacerations, how many wars could be avoided, if forgiveness and mercy were the style of our life!” (The Pope's Missions/Journey with the Pope, September 23, 2020.)
In our own lives, we hunger and thirst for God's mercy, His Uncreated Light streaming into our souls, filling us with hope for a new dawn of Grace in our lives. But growing through grace means realizing that everyone, even he or she who has offended us, needs God's Divine mercy! Can we learn anew each day to become as faithful in our relationships as God is faithful to His relationship with us? Even when we are justifiably angry with someone, can we find the inner strength and courage to take one step forward towards mending that relationship? Can we resist the temptation to "kill" another, punish another, with cold words and cold wars? Can we pray for hope and healing even for those whom we resent, dislike, or even despise? Can we offer another - and ourselves - the hope that we all can become better human beings, that we can find a way to restore them to our branch of the human community?
For, every time, we offer God's Divine Mercy to another, we help to heal and restore our human family/community. Every time we make merciful peace, we are cooperating with God's Mercy, allowing His Kingdom to grow in our hearts and lives. We are marveling at God's grace at work in us and we are singing anew each morning "Indeed, how good is the Lord! Eternal His merciful love! He is faithful from age to age."