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Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham City Jail

Decent Essays

Zachary Leibovit
16 November 2014
Period 7
Synthesis Essay
More Than Men For Others
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

—Galatians 3:2

Society neglects the ability for humans to see actual truths and purpose in their lives, which makes it easy for them to think about themselves and only want to fulfill their own personal desires. These personal desires are contrary to the teachings of Jesus, which includes loving your neighbor, compassion for others, and the desire to serve. Humans in the words of Pedro Arrupe must, “live not for themselves but for God and his Christ Following the teachings of Jesus” (Arrupe 1). Doing this makes one …show more content…

It is easy for humans to prefer order rather than justice because society covers the ability to see actual truths and purpose. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham City Jail explains how ones desire for order is truly contrary to the teachings of Jesus, “…who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice” (King 4). In order to live the paschal mystery humans must have the desire to have a positive peace or known as justice. Justice is the ability for a group of people to be able to recognize the problems in the world, and then be able to act on it. Brackley explains the importance of being able to recognize the need for justice, “…the centrality of justice not only reflects new insight into the faith; it also reflects a waking up to the world around us” (Brackley 2). Justice is being able to reflect and acknowledge the problems on what is going on in the world constantly. In order to truly act with justice, humans must be able to give up their own personal desires and recognize the need of justice in today’s world. In Pope John Paul II’s On Social Concern, he states, “The goal of peace, so desired by everyone, will certainly be achieved through the putting into effect of social and international justice, but also through the practice of the virtues which favor togetherness” (Paul II 4). The only way to achieve justice is for a group of individuals to unite under God, and to work together for a common purpose to help improve the world. Justice itself cannot be achieved with one

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