Day 4 - Thursday, March 19th
2020 Online
Lenten Retreat
Thursday, March 19
Thursday, March 19
Today's Scripture
I have had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings; In the
blood of calves, lambs, and goats I find no pleasure…. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make
justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the
widow. (cf. Isaiah 1.11-17)
Today's
Reflection
“Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”
Hunger and thirst are intense
experiences, since they involve basic needs and our instinct for survival.
There are those who desire justice and yearn for righteousness with similar
intensity. Jesus says that they will be satisfied, for sooner or later justice
will come. We can cooperate to make that possible, even if we may not always
see the fruit of our efforts.
Jesus offers a justice other than
that of the world, so often marred by petty interests and manipulated in
various ways. Experience shows how easy it is to become mired in corruption,
ensnared in the daily politics of quid pro quo [this for that], where
everything becomes business. How many people suffer injustice, standing by
powerlessly while others divvy up the good things of this life? Some give up fighting for real justice and
opt to follow in the train of the winners. This has nothing to do with the
hunger and thirst for justice that Jesus praises.
True justice comes about in
people’s lives when they themselves are just in their decisions; it is
expressed in their pursuit of justice for the poor and the weak. While it is
true that the word “justice” can be a synonym for faithfulness to God’s will in
every aspect of our life, if we give the word too general a meaning, we forget
that it is shown especially in justice towards those who are most vulnerable:
“Seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow”
(Is 1:17).
For
Your Reflection
Take a moment to think about the words, phrases or
ideas that struck you in today's reflection.
Then think about these questions:
-- On a scale of 0(low) to 6(high) rate how aware you are of the need for justice in your own life or that of other individuals or groups?
-- Has this awareness grown or changed over time?
-- Do you have a hard time accepting that, in God's eyes, justice is not an exchange of this-for-that, but a debt that is owed to the victims of injustice?
-- Do you ever feel like one of those who is enjoying the good things in life while others stand by powerlessly?
Then think about these questions:
-- On a scale of 0(low) to 6(high) rate how aware you are of the need for justice in your own life or that of other individuals or groups?
-- Has this awareness grown or changed over time?
-- Do you have a hard time accepting that, in God's eyes, justice is not an exchange of this-for-that, but a debt that is owed to the victims of injustice?
-- Do you ever feel like one of those who is enjoying the good things in life while others stand by powerlessly?
O Lord, We may think that we give glory to you only by our worship and
prayer, or simply by following certain ethical norms. It is true that the
primacy belongs to our relationship with you, but we cannot forget that the
ultimate criterion on which our lives will be judged is what we have done for
others. Prayer is most precious, for it nourishes a daily commitment to love.
Our worship becomes pleasing to you when we devote ourselves to living
generously, and allow your gift, granted in prayer, to be shown in our concern
for our brothers and sisters. Help me, O
Lord, to accept this truth and allow it to reshape my life.
One doesn't have to look to far to be aware of the inequities that surround us. The poor have always been wih us as Jesus said, but our eyes need to refocus on the systemic changes that need to happen for our hearts and hands to minister to and with them. Meanwhile, we must daily pray for them and work for the common good of all.
ReplyDeleteOne doesn't have to look to far to be aware of the inequities that surround us. The poor have always been wih us as Jesus said, but our eyes need to refocus on the systemic changes that need to happen for our hearts and hands to minister to and with them. Meanwhile, we must daily pray for them and work for the common good of all.
ReplyDelete