Dominican Student Preachers, from left: Kaitlin Vlosich, Hannah Juhas, Maggy LeBlanc, Reese Macicek, Meredith Kononchek, Krystal Fernandes. Not pictured: Caroline Baur who was in Washington, DC at the March for Life.

Reese Macicek ’24

Growing up, my dad used to tell my siblings and I, “It will not always be fair, but it will be just.”As a young child, this stumped me, but it is true. There is a difference between being fair and being just. Fairness is a comparison between the treatment of others while justice is about giving to others what is due to them. As Catholics, we are called to treat people with justice and use our gifts and talents to share with others. Just as we are called to show justice toward others, we are also called to show justice to God. He gives us so much and there is no way we can fully match His generosity and love, but we can have a just relationship with Him. This can include showing gratitude to God and also being a beacon of God’s light in this world. We can be instruments of God’s love to encourage others to enter into a relationship with the Lord and strengthen our own personal relationship with God. I invite each of you, as we preach, to think of how you can show justice to God and others.

Maggy LeBlanc ’25

God created each and every one of us in His image and likeness. Therefore, we all are called to show justice to each other. His creations are all intentional and out of pure love. This means that you were created with never-ending love. A sense of justice isn’t something you earn, but something that God has lovingly given us. In order to be just toward others, we must love them and in order to love others, we must first love God. Building your relationship with God through daily prayer, acts of kindness, and counting your blessings are ways to deepen your love for Him.

Hannah Juhas ’25

Jesus is love. Jesus was just and merciful. We are called to mirror Him and the ways He lived while on this earth. Justice does not always mean fairness, because fairness is subjective. He was not always treated the fair way, but he always acted out of love and in a just way. Jesus was belittled and killed by His own people, yet Jesus is the perfect definition of love and justice. He loved with His whole heart. To be just is to be Christ-like. We are to love one another despite our flaws, and we are to not judge. We are sinners and have all fallen short of the glory of God, so who are we to be judgmental? The only righteous judge is God our father.

Caroline Baur ’25 (read by Hannah Juhas)

The following reflection was written by Student Preacher Caroline Baur, who is on the March for Life today. Justice relates to giving, which is a huge part of our faith as Christians and an act that God specifically calls each and every one of us to. Giving does not have to be something huge, it can be a simple act of kindness. Giving can be a simple smile to someone you see, who might look lonely or who might look like they are struggling. Giving does not have to be a concrete gift to someone, in fact the best gifts are the ones that come from the kindness of our hearts. My favorite bible verse, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” God gave us the biggest and greatest gift that we can ever receive: Jesus Christ, Himself. Giving, in our sense, will never be this big, but we can always strive for God’s greatness of giving. As we enter into this week, think about one way that God is calling you to give, whether it is through a concrete gift to someone you love, or a simple smile to a stranger.

Krystal Fernandes ’24

This Mass is being celebrated not only to pray for everyone to be treated with justice, but to celebrate the lives that each of us has been given. God told Adam and Eve that humans are supposed to be stewards of the earth and care for all around us. When someone cannot hear the Word of God in everything around them, we are called to be their ears. When they cannot see God in their lives and all the beautiful things around them, we are called to be their sight. When someone cannot speak up for themselves, we are called to be their voice. And when someone is lost, we are called to be their guide and hold their hand to lead them to God. God wants us to love others as He loves us. When someone offends us it may be tempting to treat them badly, but that is not right nor just. We are called to forgive each other. God created us because He loves us. Our lives are all presents. God only creates goodness and that is all He wants for us. So we are each called to celebrate our lives and relationship with God.

Meredith Kononchek ’24

Jesus is love. Jesus was just and merciful. We are called to mirror Him and the ways He lived while on this earth. Justice does not always mean fairness, because fairness is subjective. He was not always treated the fair way, but he always acted out of love and in a just way. Jesus was belittled and killed by His own people, yet Jesus is the perfect definition of love and justice. He loved with His whole heart and never sinned a day in His life. To be just is to be Christ-like. We are to love one another despite our flaws and to not judge. We are sinners and have all fallen short of the glory of God, so who are we to be judgmental? The only righteous judge is God our father.

After a disappointment, we have all probably been told at one point or another that life is not fair. While life may not be fair, the way we treat each other should be. Imagine a world without justice in which we did not treat each other respectfully or with kindness. Imagine a world where we only selfishly focused on our own needs and did not take the time to care for those around us. This would be a dismal world indeed. Every time we attend Mass, we are reminded that God is the paragon of justice and virtue as we state that God is “truly right and just” after the priest says“Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.” Because we are all created in the image and likeness of God, we are all expected to treat others with the same kindness and compassion that God always shows us. The world would be a little more equitable if we each took a minute to remember the oft quoted saying of treat others as you would want to be treated and consequently acted accordingly.

Kaitlin Vlosich ’25

Again, justice is giving everyone what is due. As humans, we all deserve ready access to the things we need to survive. We may be fortunate enough to have more than we need, but we also have a duty to serve and support those who have less. We may all be familiar with the verse Matthew 25:40, where the Lord says: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Here at Dominican, we have the opportunity to be like these good and righteous people. Earlier in this Gospel story, the Lord says to the righteous that one of the things they did to earn the reward of Heaven was to feed Him when He was hungry. Now, we have the opportunity to do the exact same thing with our canned food drive. No matter how much you donate, you are giving other humans what is due to them, access to food. And, the best part is, you’re paving your way to Heaven, too!