Let Justice Surge Like Water July 5

Let us pray: Jesus, help us to confront the demons who bring conflict into our lives: conflict over money, duty, power and people. Help us to be like you in tackling the problems that we face rather than ignoring them.

Drive out the evil in our hearts, on our lips and in our minds so that we may be in a proper and right relationship with you. Send the Holy Spirit to help us to accept your word and works in our lives now and forever. Assure us that our piety and study are reflected in our actions in the community. Amen.

Study
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“Let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.” Amos 5:24

In the first reading, the Lord condemns the cult whose exterior rites and solemnity have no relation to interior morality and justice. The Israelites, according to Amos, falsely worshiped the Lord just as neighboring nations adored pagan deities were thought to protect their peoples against their enemies in return for ritual observances, without any relation to right conduct. The need for congruence between piety, study and action creates proper balance in our lives.

In the second reading from Matthew’s Gospel, we see more forces that challenge Jesus’ mission. Just as the wind and the waves in yesterday’s Gospel impeded Jesus’ mission (to cross the sea), today, the evil in the community and in our individual hearts must be driven out.

There is conflict between Jesus and the demons encountered. They challenge Jesus’ mission with the rebuke, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” This reminds us of Jesus’ dialogue with Mary at the wedding in Cana when he said, “My time has not yet come.” Even though the hour of His passion has not arrived, it is Jesus’ time to show humanity the power of God.

The demons recognize Jesus and His power over evil and death (they are just emerging from the cemetery). This contrasts with the “little faith” of some of the disciples and the lack of faith of some of Jesus’ neighbors and the villagers later who beg Jesus to leave them alone.

Just as Jesus defeated His own personal demons in his forty days in the desert, He also defeats the community’s demons. Jesus commands the evil to leave and defeats it – “And he said to them, ‘Go then!’ They came out and entered the swine.” The swine have the same fate as Pharaoh’s army who are swallowed by the sea in Exodus.

Finally, we see the crowd react with fear and “beg” Jesus to leave their village. Just like the disciples in the boat, they were not yet ready to fully cooperate with the divine plan for our salvation despite what they witnessed. Liberation from any force that oppresses us has a cost. Some people are unwilling to risk that.

Action

Are there similarities between the fear of the villagers who see Jesus defeat the oppression of evil and out fears and false piety? Are there similarities between the empty worship that Amos sees and the contradictions between our piety and our action toward those we should love?

Yesterday was a day when some of us set off fireworks to commemorate our victory and independence from oppressive colonial rule (Israel faced off with the Imperial Roman Army). The successful launch of the space shuttle gave some reason to rediscover our ability to explore the natural world and overcome the forces of nature that hold us down. Although others continue to question the money spent on such exploration while the world’s poor remain among us – 2 billion strong who subsist on less than $2 per day.

The Korean government’s unsuccessful missile launches also brought us back to the reality of threats and conflict and fear in the world when we live without turning authority over to the love of God.

Let us ask our political leaders to be guided by the peace of Christ when responding to this incident. Let us accept the discipline of peace and the words of Jesus to love our enemies as we consistently recite His statutes and profess our faith to live in the love of God. “Let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.”