Put Your House in Order

Thursday of the FifteenthWeek in Ordinary Time

“Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover.”  Isaiah 38:1b

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.  If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”  Matthew 12:8

Piety

What the Catholic Worker Believes by Peter Maurin

1. The Catholic Worker believes in the gentle personalism of traditional Catholicism.

2. The Catholic Worker believes in the personal obligation of looking after the needs of our brother.

3. The Catholic Worker believes in the daily practice of the Works of Mercy.

4. The Catholic Worker believes in Houses of Hospitality for the immediate relief of those who are in need.

5. The Catholic Worker believes in the establishment of Farming Communes where each one works according to his ability and gets according to his need.

6. The Catholic Worker believes in creating a new society      within the shell of the old with the philosophy of the new, which is not a new philosophy but a very old philosophy, a philosophy so old that it looks like new.

Study

The section of the prophecy of Isaiah in today’s reading is about healing and recovery.  In essence, when Jesus admonishes the Pharisees, he also is telling them to heal their relationship with the Son of Man on his terms, not on theirs. 

On the surface, the Pharisees interpret the actions of Jesus and his disciples as ignoring the rules that apply to everyone else.  But, when Jesus came on the scene, he brought a whole new relationship to the old rules and tried to impart that outlook to those around him.  In the Nazareth Temple, after reading from Isaiah, he declared these scriptures are fulfilled as people listened to the words Jesus read.  Now, Jesus also is pointing out to the Pharisees, that the prophecies of Isaiah to put your house in order – in a new order – are fulfilled. 

Action

In addition to new relationships according to new rules, Jesus also wants us to shift our perspective from sacrifice to mercy.  This also calls for us to change the focus of our action.   As we put our house in order, we need to continue to focus on the actions that we are spurred from our apostolic commissioning. 

There are some very modern tools that are helping us to change the face of our philanthropic actions, according to this story from USA Today.

From apps like “I Can G Without” to “Charity Miles,” mobile technology is actually acting as a catalyst for more charitable donations.  Disaster relief giving has been spurred by text-massage-based giving. 

Explore these or other apps and try one out to support a new cause or a long-time favorite.