Social Justice.

Social Justice is a buzzword amongst the political left especially those who are religious.

Father James V. Schall talks about Social Justice in his latest column in Crisis magazine. Fr. Schall's latest column is not yet online but I imagine it will be soon.

If by the phrase "working for social justice" we mean that we are seeking to erect a regime in which everyone else, especially the poorer, will be provided for by our structurally oriented efforts, we will mistake what justice signifies. Justice cannot be automatically acquired outside of ourselves. Its acquisition includes the intellectual and moral virtues in their proper sense. We cannot help others unless we understand what virtue is and how to acquire it. A modern social-justice regime obviates any real relation–be it of justice, charity, or friendship–of one person to another.

Source Sense and Nonsense by Father James V. Schall in the October 2005 edition of Crisis Magazine (Vol 23 No 9) page 63.

That is, God (via the Bible) asks us if we are our brother's keeper and not is our government our brother's keeper. Asking the government to establish justice in this world is simple buck passing. In fact Fr. Schall states

To conceive justice as an ideal set of institutions waiting to be established so that everyone would be taken care of is a latent form of totalitarianism. [emphasis added]

Source Sense and Nonsense by Father James V. Schall in the October 2005 edition of Crisis Magazine (Vol 23 No 9) page 63.

Indeed. Virtue is a prerequisite to justice. If a person is not virtuous how can they be just how can they help others when having to deal with their own tragedy? Virtue is tough and is a learned trait.

I saw Dinesh D'Souza last summer (IIRC). His main point was that we are at war with those who esteem virtue above liberty. Dinesh then pointed out an irony in those who fight, and kill (and behead others) in the name of a virtuous society. A truly virtuous society must choose virtue freely, it can not be coerced that is only the liberal (please recall I use liberal in the classic sense of the word, that it is it has no connection to the Democratic party in the USA or to the political left) society has any chance of being virtuous.

Often when a person lives in a forced virtue society, and they move to a liberal society what happens? Often times they uncork and become depraved, oh but its never their fault.

As we all know, there are not enough police to compel virtuous behavior and none of us want to live in a state that attempts to create a police force capable of maintaining a sham virtuosity.

Good night, thanks for reading, & God Bless You.