Strong Is Your Justice

Justice is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, and not just because I'm a pre-law major. I think it all started several weeks ago with the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, the current president of Sudan. Although the investigation has been on-going, the arrest warrant came despite cries from the African Union and several other states/groups that such a move by the ICC would inhibit the peace process in Darfur and perhaps even incite more violence. Sure enough, once the warrant was issued for Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes (Genocide charges were dropped), the Sudanese government began to kick-out several aid groups that were operating in Darfur.

But it's not just in law that I find justice. There is the overwhelming, overpowering, all-consuming justice of our wonderful God. I went to Wednesday night Lenten service with my mom last night and, despite having read and sung this service countless times before, was struck for the first time by how many times that word "justice" seemed to pop up. We pray "for those who govern, that justice might guide them." We praise God in The Magnificat, declaring "Great and mighty are You, oh Faithful One, strong is Your justice, strong Your love." And I especially like this last one because it links God's justice with God's love. So often we think of justice as punishment, or at least as bad karma. What goes around, comes around, right? We say a judge's sentence is just. When a criminal is convicted, we say justice has been served. But God's justice is as strong as His love. God's justice isn't about sentencing or wrath or getting what's due, it's about love, compassion, and mercy. When Jesus says "blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9), He's talking about justice. When Jesus says"whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me" (Matthew 25:40), He's talking bout justice.

So what does justice look like in Sudan? On the one hand, the prospect of ICC prosecution is encouraging, and maybe I'm just entering this perspective as a student of international law. But for me, the ICC is a possible means of accountability and, ideally, a deterrent for future crimes against innocent populations. On the other hand, we cannot ignore that this arrest warrant is causing very real suffering on the ground. It begs the question of why only the President of Sudan is being targeted, when certainly ICC cases could be made for countless other state leaders. Why make an example of him, when we know he probably won't be arrested and, if he is arrested, his ICC proceedings will take years. What's the point? It's politics, really. The politics of punishment ignores the duty of assistance. The politics of retaliation ignores the responsibility of protecting one's own citizens. There are politicians on both sides being guided by self-interest and not by justice. Where is justice in all of this? What can we do for the least of these? As we are required to do justice, I think we need to extend our prayer beyond a prayer for those who govern: we all need guidance for strong justice that is linked with strong love.