Word to the Wise
Monday, July 18, 2016 - 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. [Micah] [New American Bible]
Many are the engaged couples with whom I have shared these words from the Prophet Micah. But I prefer the translation of the original Jerusalem Bible, "Act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God." I used these words on one of the ordination cards that I gave friends 45 years ago. [The current translation Grinches have stolen that bit of inspiring "Christmas."]
My point in sharing those words with a young couple is that any friendship requires that we be both loving and just, and let faith be a part of the relationship. If the relationship is only something that the parties create, it will be lacking a transcendent element that will hold things together when the going gets difficult, as it will in almost any human relationship.
Indeed, Micah's words can serve as an individual framework for a Christian life. All three of the elements come together to make for integrity and holiness of life. Love disappears in a situation where justice is lacking, and when there is no ultimate concern about an accounting to God! Micah has done us all a great favor by focusing our attention on the fundamentals! AMEN