July 20, 2005
Mercy
Of all the titles we human beings think up to separate and elevate ourselves, “justice” must be one of the most ludicrous. “Reverend,” of course, runs it a close second, but it’s only an adjective, if often a misplaced one, that sometimes requires “right” and “most” when and if folk need convincing and even when it’s wrong.
Justice, however, is another matter. We need it around to help keep us between the curbs, but if it were all there was, there’d not only be all hell to pay, but only all hell to pay. God is just, but God is also merciful, didn’t let it end that way, and that makes all the difference.
That the Supremes enjoy the high privilege of justifying life’s margins as they’re supposed to be constituted in this land and even have a title to go with it is okay by me and seems to have worked fairly well over the decades. It’s when their membership shifts every now and then like now, that I’d hope somebody would maybe just ask them what they think about mercy.