What is the meaning of justice? Justice is something that one may consider as a principal value of our society. When justice fails to meet our or the community’s expectations, the principle of justice moves to the forefront of public conversation, with news feeds and social commentary replete with opinion on whether or not justice has prevailed. One need only glimpse the comments on any given article concerning justice to see that our "sense" of justice plays a significant role in how we engage with the world around us. There is a lot concerning justice in the Bible — in Exodus we hear of eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth — but Jesus tells us that we are to turn the other cheek. In this manner, justice is inextricably entwined with ethics, which may again lead us to the question: what is the meaning of justice? We’ve (mostly) moved on from justice being an angry mob seeking revenge, but what does justice actually mean for us as a society?
Thankfully, there are those who have explored questions of justice at length. Acting Justice Richard Refshauge, who served as a Supreme Court Judge for a decade from 2008 and who currently holds the position of Chancellor in the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, will be presenting The Meaning of Justice as a part of the Christians for an Ethical Society 2022 forum series. This event will be taking place at the Chapel of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture on Tuesday, 23 August at 7.00pm. This is an amazing opportunity to hear from one of Australia's great legal minds about the notion of justice and its administration and to further educate ourselves about justice and what it means as we each strive to make the world a better place. You can find more information on the session here.
Peace and blessings,
Father Chris
Chaplain