Word to the Wise
Thursday, July 17, 2008 - Thursday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time
[Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 and Matthew 11:28-30]The way of the just is smooth; the path of the just you make level. Yes, for your way and your judgments, O Lord, we look to you; your name and your title are the desire of our souls. My soul yearns for you in the night, yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you; when your judgment dawns upon the earth, the world's inhabitants learn justice. O Lord, you mete out peace to us, for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.
Prophets, at least in the Old Testament model, did not exist to express their individual opinions (as we modern individualist Westerners tend to think). They existed as a form of communal conscience and consciousness! Isaiah speaks not only for Yahweh but also for Israel. There is a dialogue that springs from the acknowledgment of failure on the part of Israel to live according to the covenant and God's promise to deliver His people - but only if they repent! History shows that repentance was rarely lasting, but the beauty of Isaiah's prayer is one that we moderns should take seriously. Just from these few lines there are some important spiritual lessons. There is the importance of acting justly. There is the importance of acknowledging our individual and corporate need for God. There is the recognition that we accomplish nothing worthwhile without God's help! The Church has recognized the importance of these words and has placed them within the Liturgy of the Hours in Morning Prayer of Tuesday/Week 3. Perhaps we can recognize the need of our modern nation to recognize the importance of justice in its dealing with its neighbors and that it is only with God's help instead of military or economic might that we will accomplish any good. AMEN
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