Word to the Wise
Monday, July 23, 2018 - 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]
I have always preferred the translation in the first English edition of the Jerusalem Bible: "to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly in the sight of your God." I had them printed, along with the passage from Isaiah's call and one from 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 on souvenir cards on the occasion of my ordination. I believe Micah has summed up much of Jesus' own message which would come hundreds of years later! I have offered these words to engaged couples as a kind of mantra for their marriage! But they could be the scriptural blueprint for any life.
Love without justice is not love. And for the person of faith, love and justice receive their source from God who has also loved us and demanded that we act justly. At baptismal ceremonies, I urge the mom and dad and everyone else there to above all teach the child how to give and receive love. Humble faith and justice will surely follow. Because this wisdom is so ancient, one would think the world would be governed by it, but sadly this is not the case. At least we who read these words from the prophet Micah today have the opportunity to put them into effect in our own lives. AMEN