To Hunger for Justice

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." 

Matthew 5:6 

A few weeks ago, while I was still in training in New York, I was trying to come up with a URL for my blog. The wonderful and intelligent Katie Pryor, a fellow US-2 serving in Biloxi, suggested
hungry4justice as my URL, stemming from the idea that one of Iskashitaa's primary interests is food justice, and my position is Food Justice Coordinator. (Also if I ever start a twitter, I have a hashtag to match: #h4j.)

Since that time, I have been reflecting on what it means to be hungry for justice.
Hunger is something universal; all living things need nourishment. Hunger alerts us to a need in our bodies for sustenance, and the longer we go without that sustenance, the more uncomfortable we become. If the sustenance never comes, hunger becomes death.

To hunger for justice, for righteousness, might be regarded as a person's need for justice. It could be the knowledge that one will be unable to function properly until justice is achieved. Just as pangs of hunger and growling stomachs alert our bodies to the need for food, instances of systemic injustice and human suffering alert our souls to the need for justice. To be hungry for justice is to realize that just as seeking food is vital for survival, so too is seeking justice.