Word to the Wise
Monday, July 23, 2012 - Monday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
[Mic 6:1-4, 6-8 and Matt 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 prophet Micah offers us a wonderful summary of everything the "law and the prophets" means in the Old Testament. I am fond of an older translation that reads as follows: "to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God." Earlier in this first scripture for the day, Micah presents God as calling all of creation to witness a complaint against the people! It has a familiar sound of a parent saying to a child, "I've given you everything and you still turn your back on me! Where did I go wrong?" Israel replies, "How can I satisfy you?" God replies with the words quoted above.
I have often quoted these words to couples who are preparing for marriage or have just married. Justice, love and humility before God are essential elements of all community life. The self-centeredness of much of American culture militates against these elements. It requires discipline and self-sacrifice to live as God commands. The covenant that Christ established for us is founded on the love of God and neighbor. If we wish to be faithful to that covenant, Micah offers us a wonderful way to remember it each day: act justly, love tenderly, walk humbly before God. AMEN
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