MSI Press Blog

  Justice is one of the most powerful points of convergence across religious traditions. While each faith articulates justice differently, the underlying impulse is remarkably consistent: to protect the vulnerable, restrain the powerful, and align human society with the moral order of the universe. Judaism centers justice in the prophetic tradition: care for the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger. Justice is covenantal—it is how a people lives faithfully with God. Christianity frames justice through the teachings of Jesus, who consistently lifts up the marginalized and confronts systems of exclusion. Justice is inseparable from love. Islam embeds justice in law, ethics, and daily life. The Qur’an repeatedly commands fairness, honesty, and protection of the oppressed. Hinduism ties justice to dharma —the moral order that governs right action and social responsibility. Buddhism approaches justice through compassion and the alleviation of suffering. Justice is not retr...

  Today's meditation from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Dr. Frederic Craigie. -12-   We don’t live for happiness; we live for holiness. Day to day, we seek out pleasure, but deep down, human beings are endowed with moral imagination. All human beings seek to lead lives, not just of pleasure, but of purpose, righteousness, and virtue. As John Stuart Mill put it, people have a responsibility to become more moral over time. The best life is oriented around the increasing excellence of the soul and is nourished by moral joy, the quiet sense of gratitude and tranquility that comes as a byproduct of successful moral struggle.   David Brooks   Michael Kent grew up among the few white people in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was bullied by black children and his mother was assaulted by a black man. He became increasingly hateful of black people and eventually found ...

  excerpt from  Living in Blue Sky Mind How We Talk I remember a time that I lied to my mother and how it made me feel. One night my brother and I had a plan. We were going to throw a water balloon out of our bedroom window against the wall of the house next door. After lights went out and we got into bed, I snuck into the bathroom and filled a balloon with water. I came back, and my brother lifted the screen to our window. I leaned out as far as I could and threw the balloon. It was lopsided and slippery so it flew off target. I heard a window break. My brother and I dove into our beds. I saw that the shade on our window was up so I stood to pull it down. When I was in the window, the porch light from the house next door came on. Our neighbor stepped out and saw me. I fell on my pillow. She already saw me so I got on my knees and looked out, acting groggy, as if I had just woken up. Someone broke our window,” our neighbor said. “Did you see anything?” I thought for a second. ...