any more than light can belong to the eye, sound can belong to the ear,
will can belong to the muscles that act, thought can belong to the lips
that speak, air can belong to the lungs that breathe, or heat can belong to
the blood, and so on. These elements all flow in and work with our body
parts but do not become part of them, as everyone intuitively knows.
We acquire justice the more we practice it. We practice justice the
more our interaction with our neighbor is motivated by a love for justice
and truth.
Justice dwells in the goodness itself or the useful functions themselves
that we do. The Lord says that every tree is recognized by its fruit. Surely
we get to know other people well through paying attention not only to
what they do but also to what outcome they want—what they are
intending and why. All angels pay attention to these things, as do all wise
people in our world.
Everything that grows and flourishes in the ground is identified by
its flowers and seeds and by what it is good for. All types of metal are dif-
ferentiated by their usefulness, all types of stone by their properties.
Every piece of land is assessed on the basis of its features, as is every type
of food, and even every animal on land and every bird in the sky. Why
not us?
The factors that give our actions their quality will be disclosed in the
chapter on faith [see especially §§ 373 – 377 ].97 6. Through those same acts the Lord united himself to the Father and the
Father united himself to him.Acts of redemption brought about this
union because the Lord performed these acts in his human manifesta-
tion. As he performed them, the Divine meant by “the Father” came
closer to him, helped him, and cooperated with him. At last they forged
so close a partnership that they were not two but one. This union is the
“glorification” referred to in what follows.
98 The idea that the Father and the Son, meaning the divine nature and
the human nature, are united in the Lord like a soul and a body is part of
the modern-day church’s belief and is based on the Word. Nevertheless
barely five out of a hundred or fifty out of a thousand know it. The cul-
prit is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Many clergy who seek
a scholarly reputation to advance their careers and financial situations
are focusing all their effort on this doctrine, to the point where nowa-
days it occupies and obsesses every square inch of their mind. This doc-
trine has intoxicated their thinking as if it were alcohol. Like drunks,