Word to the Wise
Monday, July 21, 2008 - Monday in the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time
[Micah 6:1-4, 6-8 and Matthew 12:38-42]You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.
The first English edition of the Jerusalem Bible translated this passage as, "to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God." I put those words on one of my ordination cards (along with the passage from Isaiah 6:8 that I mentioned some time ago and one from St. Paul). I continue to use this translation when I write to newly engaged couples to wish them well in their marriage. Those words, I believe, are the key to a blessed and happy marriage, but also to any good friendship. One cannot claim to love tenderly and act unjustly at the same time! The poignancy of that fact shows clearly in situations where one of the parties to a relationship is afflicted with substance abuse or some other destructive pattern of behavior and becomes erratic and unreliable in their ability to express love. On the other hand, it is possible to be quite fair and consistent without engaging oneself heart to heart. Friends and spouses need to hear the words, "I love you!" more often than "I'm just to (or fair to or I provide for) you!" Last but not least, the foundation for all love and justice is a mutual faith in God because that acknowledges the one thing that all human persons should reflect - the presence and love of God. Without that presence, we will never be able to have mercy (to act justly), to forgive (to love tenderly) and be grateful to God who has given us the power to love. Micah tells us what God expects. It's up to us to live it in the flesh! AMEN
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