Set Things Right March 6

Come now, let us set things right. Isaiah 1:18

“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?” Psalm 50:16

Do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. Matthew 23:3

Piety

God, you put us in this world to get to know you, to love you and our sisters and brothers, and to serve you. Help us to be servant leaders in our families, parishes, schools, work places and communities. Let us do all we can to put the needs of others first and the needs of ourselves last. Help us to practice what we preach so that we can set things right. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/030607.shtml

Imagine if “The Late Show with the Prophet Isaiah” featured the Top Ten List of “Instructions from God:”

Number 10 Wash yourselves clean of sin!

Number 9 Put away your misdeeds from before God’s eyes.

Number 8 Cease doing evil.

Number 7 Learn to do good.

Number 6 Make justice your aim.

Number 5 Redress the wronged.

Number 4 Hear the orphan’s plea.

Number 3 Defend the widow.

Number 2 If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land.

And, from the home office in the village of Nazareth, in the province of Galilee, the Number One Instruction from Almighty God: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pardon the tongue-in-cheek juxtaposing of television/show business with the Gospel. One is a medium which epitomizes exactly the opposite of the other. If the Gospel calls us to be humbled, everything we see about entertainment is about ratings, awards, and attracting the audience that advertisers crave the most. The media and show business is about exalting oneself and one’s product over the rest of the business.

But let’s not single out entertainment. We could say the same about politics where every candidate lives for the straw poll, Harris Poll, and the ultimate poll on Election Day. We could say the same about commerce where every company lives for the positive analysts report, quarterly earnings statement, daily stock price, the Dow Jones or NASDAQ average. We could say the same thing about every facet of society which is built on getting ahead at the expense of the other or at least in relationship to how others fare.

Isaiah calls us to get our relationships on the right track, not the track of competition but the track of cooperation. This echoes throughout the history of the church. God calls. We are asked to respond authentically. As stated in the USCCB publication, Co-workers in the Vineyard, “Holiness is nothing other than the gift of loving union with God and the sharing of this love in right relationship with others. In this way we live the Trinitarian community in our daily lives.”

Action

We can not wave a magic wand and get in right relationships with God and others. It takes thoughtfulness and prayer and action. Begin by reflecting on Biblical Justice as outlined by Isaiah and Jesus in today’s readings. Ask yourselves, “How can I be in right relationship with God and others?”

Then, consider taking small steps to get into proper relationships that were outlined in “A Grassroots Guide for Families, Parishes and Youth Groups:”

When purchasing gifts consider items made by poor and low-income people through projects supported by economic development grants of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Shop for them on-line at www.usccb.org/cchd/edshopping.shtml.

Do you employ or hire people in traditionally low-paying jobs? Can you commit to paying a “living wage” to people working for you as a babysitter, lawn mower, or house cleaner?

Compare your school’s dropout rate with a poorer school district. Talk about why kids drop out and what happens to them. Check out www.hopeworks.org, a youth empowerment project funded by CCHD, to see how one group addressed a 70% dropout rate by offering training in marketable skills.

Help youth to pray about their concerns for people living in poverty. As a group, agree that each youth will take a minute at 6:00 (am or pm) on designated days to pray for the 1 in 6 youth who live below the poverty line in the U.S.

Where ever you are at 10 p.m. or 10 a.m., stop for a minute and pray for the 1 in 10 families living in poverty in this country.