Everyone talks about justice these days. Some people demand it by sitting in roadways and throwing soup on artistic masterpieces.
It’s easy to hear the word “justice” and feel a moral obligation to join the cause. But while justice is a Christian virtue, it has been perverted into something other than its authentic meaning.
Here’s what real justice is — and isn’t.
The true definition of justice
Justice is the virtue by which we give to another their due with a constant and perpetual will. Humans are born into a network of relationships. We’re created by God, given to a set of parents and enter the world as citizens of a particular country. From these relationships emerge things we owe others and things they owe us. We have rights and they have rights.
These rights are based on our human nature. God gave us this nature to accomplish certain goals in life, such as knowing and loving Him and others, preserving our existence, and (for many) bringing children into the world.
The types of justice
St. Thomas Aquinas distinguishes between two types of justice: general and particular. When people talk about justice, they’re usually referring to particular justice.