The 7th June is an important date for the Maltese community. On this day we celebrate when, in 1919, the Maltese stood up for their right to have a decent living. Our Founder, Joseph De Piro, had a good share in the acquisition of some of these rights and in calming down the people’s anger. He put aside his other ministry and duties, and on those crucial days he loved the Maltese by seeing to it that justice was done.
I remember, I was amazed how many opportunities there are in our simple, ordinary days, where we can live justice.
During the years 1980-82 I was sent by my superiors to Rome to study spirituality and formation at the Gregorian University. But as a member of a Missionary Society I thought it most fitting to follow also some courses of in the Missiology Faculty of the same University. One day one of the lecturers asked me to present the two aspects of my studies by preparing a paper about the formation of seminarians for justice. I remember that, in the major part of this paper, I tried to show how, in the daily normal lives of seminarians, there are many and many occasions where they can live justice and, through those same instances, they can train to be future promoters of justice.
I remember, I was amazed at how many opportunities there are in our simple, ordinary days, where we can live justice. If we put our days, even a little bit under the lens, if we are even a bit refined in our analyses, and courageous enough to face the results of our evaluations, we will discover that there are times when we do not do justice to our Lord, who is our Creator and all else. Rather instead, we take things for granted. We may discover that we are not doing justice to ourselves, whether in relation to our body, our mind, our spirit or our soul. Or alternatively, we may discover that, in our communities, and therefore in our relationships with each other, there are hundreds of opportunities where we could practice this virtue more – justice helps us abstract sympathies and love without distinction.