They who do justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” The responsorial psalm this weekend tells us that it is by doing justice that we live in the presence of God...it is in and through building justice that we cocreate the Reign of God.
How is it then that such great injustices like racism, bigotry and misogyny are so prevalent in our “Christian” society? Racism, bigotry and misogyny are outright sins and need to be called out for what they are.
Justice demands that we look at the very structure of our society that claims to be built on the ideal of “justice for all persons” and yet clearly, acts contradictory to our notion of all women and men being equal, actions in outright violation of people’s civil rights are committed more and more frequently and without appropriate consequences, especially to people of color!
The reality of “inequality” is seen in the Gospel this weekend: Mary chooses to sit at the feet of Jesus “as a disciple”, a decidedly male role, clearly breaking the norms of her society....and Jesus defends this un-acceptable behavior.
Mary is drawn to Jesus’ words like other women of Jerusalem who broke with tradition and traveled with Jesus to support him in his mission. Jesus did not up-hold the laws that supported a patriarchal society that clearly valued men and devalued women.
This attitude of inclusion that Jesus demonstrates over and over again by eating with sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes shows his willingness to stand up to societal conventions that degraded or dishonored the dignity of a person.
Jesus reached out to the poor and the marginalized and commanded that his disciples do the same and in doing so they would be recognized as his followers.
We simply cannot stand by in silence as our government continues to disrespect and degrade immigrants and refugees, houses them in inhumane and heartless conditions and turn away legitimate asylum seekers and immigrants fleeing violence and poverty -- those seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
In the face of over 300 mass shootings so far this year alone, as disciples of the Prince of Peace, what will our response be? Will we stand up and protest, will we write to our elected officials and demand they outlaw weapons of war and mass destruction or will we give up sensing it is all too much for us to deal with? Then I would ask: “what would Jesus do” in this situation?
As disciples we have to ask ourselves, what are we doing in the face of the sin of institutionalized racism, bigotry and misogyny that plagues our nation?
How can we work together to build true justice for all people, to call out racism, bigotry, white supremacy and misogyny in all its forms whether in our schools, our neighborhoods, our places of work or the highest offices of our government? How will I “do justice” this week? How will I live out my discipleship of Jesus Christ? Filled with the Holy Spirit let us go forth emboldened to build up the Reign of God and be builders of peace and justice!
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
How is it then that such great injustices like racism, bigotry and misogyny are so prevalent in our “Christian” society? Racism, bigotry and misogyny are outright sins and need to be called out for what they are.
Justice demands that we look at the very structure of our society that claims to be built on the ideal of “justice for all persons” and yet clearly, acts contradictory to our notion of all women and men being equal, actions in outright violation of people’s civil rights are committed more and more frequently and without appropriate consequences, especially to people of color!
The reality of “inequality” is seen in the Gospel this weekend: Mary chooses to sit at the feet of Jesus “as a disciple”, a decidedly male role, clearly breaking the norms of her society....and Jesus defends this un-acceptable behavior.
Mary is drawn to Jesus’ words like other women of Jerusalem who broke with tradition and traveled with Jesus to support him in his mission. Jesus did not up-hold the laws that supported a patriarchal society that clearly valued men and devalued women.
This attitude of inclusion that Jesus demonstrates over and over again by eating with sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes shows his willingness to stand up to societal conventions that degraded or dishonored the dignity of a person.
Jesus reached out to the poor and the marginalized and commanded that his disciples do the same and in doing so they would be recognized as his followers.
We simply cannot stand by in silence as our government continues to disrespect and degrade immigrants and refugees, houses them in inhumane and heartless conditions and turn away legitimate asylum seekers and immigrants fleeing violence and poverty -- those seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
In the face of over 300 mass shootings so far this year alone, as disciples of the Prince of Peace, what will our response be? Will we stand up and protest, will we write to our elected officials and demand they outlaw weapons of war and mass destruction or will we give up sensing it is all too much for us to deal with? Then I would ask: “what would Jesus do” in this situation?
As disciples we have to ask ourselves, what are we doing in the face of the sin of institutionalized racism, bigotry and misogyny that plagues our nation?
How can we work together to build true justice for all people, to call out racism, bigotry, white supremacy and misogyny in all its forms whether in our schools, our neighborhoods, our places of work or the highest offices of our government? How will I “do justice” this week? How will I live out my discipleship of Jesus Christ? Filled with the Holy Spirit let us go forth emboldened to build up the Reign of God and be builders of peace and justice!
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
RSS Feed
