Law or Justice

A classmate of mine commented on the quote I have at the bottom of
every email I send: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and lose his soul?" Jesus said it, and I have it there to remind
myself (and hopefully others) that there are some things much, much
more important than worldly gain.

The quote was of special meaning to him, because he is a lawyer. And
as he explained it, it is easy for lawyers to lose their souls.
Lawyers are paid to represent their clients. They do this by knowing
the law and applying it on their client's behalf. Sometimes this can
be deeply rewarding.

But sometimes, in the course of serving their client and making their
money and winning their case, law may be upheld by the letter but
justice was not upheld by the spirit. And in some cases, in the name
of serving their client and making their money and winning their case,
not only is justice cast aside but so is law.

I empathized with my friend's perspective and thanked him for his
honesty. And I quietly and quickly said a prayer for my lawyer
friends, that they'd remember Jesus' words and not lose their soul in
the course of doing their jobs. And then I sat down with my classmate
and class started, and I quietly and quickly said a prayer for myself,
that I'd remember Jesus' words, too.