By P쳰arim Kalo
Many have happened to go to the stairs of our Ministry of Justice across the hall. In the left side of the hall, somewhere in a rather dark corner, photographs of former ministers of Justice are hanging, but I am afraid it is rather difficult for visitors to see those photographs or read the names of ex-ministers in that remote corner where they are almost hidden, not to say abandoned.
This article however is not motivated by those photographs; it is, on the contrary, motivated by something that one can see while taking the stairs in the Ministry. Those who have taken those stairs have inevitably seen a frame, with a glass holding verses by Mother Teresa from “Prayer for Judges”. Thanks to her stature, Mother Teresa would not pray for Albanian judges solely. As a Holy Mother, most likely she penned those prayers for judges across the world. I wish from the bottom of my heart that those meaningful words were read by our judges (several surely have climbed the stairs of the Ministry of Justice – it is even likely that such climb might have determined someone’s jump in the career ladder. This prayer of Mother Teresa should have been hung there by the High Council of Justice (Ministry of Justice should not have make this, as it would have been contrary to their declared position of no interference in the matters of the judicial power!)
But why has Mother Teresa written those words and what do they say specifically? Prayers are for the ones who, figuratively speaking, keep the balance of the globe in the fight between the good and bad, threatened as it is by the spread of this latter – judges.
It is interesting to note that Mother Teresa prays, first of all, the Mighty Lord, because He has assigned to judges the extraordinary mission – the rendering of justice, everywhere and at any time. So it is only He who has the power to do something for the judges – to give them things they may miss while rendering justice. She did not chose Him occasionally for another reason, too – is the Mighty Lord indeed the only power judges should be subordinated to? (and to no one else? -note of author) But how?
Mother Teresa says judges ought to sense the honest truth. They do have ears, butshecertainly must have heard and believed that natural ears, the ones we are born with, do not suffice. She prays to Mighty Lord to provide them with special ears,so that they can resist ear waxing as substance and waxing as a process, thus making adequate hearing possible. It seems Mother Teresa’s concept here is in line with Gandhi who had suggested: “There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts.”
Mother Teresa also repeats, in a superior manner what is already written in codes and books – the need of mankind for justice – rendered exclusively by judges. She compares them to Solomon, the most renowned and distinguished King, who provided justice during the time of his ruling. She refers Solomon as the wisest King on earth who managed to rule his people through justice and understanding.
But Mother Teresa prays to God for something else, too – to give knowledge to judges! Judges must be knowledgeable, as they are going to hear and render a judgment that should be just – but she is afraid their knowledge is not sufficient, so the broader knowledge that God will give them would eliminate the worry of people caused by the feeling that judges are not sufficiently knowledgeable! While praying God to give judges knowledge, she does not forget to remind Him to give them proper mercy and strength to punish “cruelty and injustice”, by depriving wrongdoers of freedom. On the other hand, full of mercy – that made her a Holy figure – she asks from God to help those who are subjected to justice (or injustice, note of the author) to keep on hoping, avoid falling too low, but find strength and energy to survive.
Finally, her prayer becomes so meaningful as she puts judges in the group of those whose sins God should forgive. So what we keep hearing today about our judges’ alleged bribery, lack of impartiality, and generation of insecurity (often of self-justice), Mother Teresa defines in just one word: Sins. So sinners can judge and even punish sinners. Mighty Lord is able to forgive judges for their sins, and so am I; and I take this opportunity to have my modest voice join the chorus of those who believe in what our Mother Teresa believed, by speaking out loud: Amen!
