Justice, Mercy, Humility

8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

In response to the false piety that had become common practice among the people of Israel, the prophet Micah attempted to teach the faithful what God really wanted from them. Giving the appropriate sacrifices, participating regularly in worship, and saying the traditional prayers were all good and necessary, but if these were not accompanied with ensuring the well-being of the most vulnerable - the least, the last, and the lost - then they had forgotten their purpose.

We, too, are in danger of forgetting our purpose when our faithful responsibilities (which are good and necessary) are not joined with faithful relationships. Only through hard work and heart work can we hope to see the transforming work of God in us and through us. Our world - people and planet - is crying out for the faithful to live into our call. We answer with love when we seek justice, show mercy; humbly, attentively, journeying the way God leads.

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-30)