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Thus says the LORD:
Observe what is right, do what is just;
for my salvation is about to come,
my justice, about to be revealed.
The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the LORD,
and becoming his servants—
all who keep the sabbath free from profanation
and hold to my covenant,
them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.
The first reading at mass today sounds like an instruction manual for how to get to heaven!
I once worked for a family-owned company where the lady that owned it decided to turn the firm over to her son and let him the place. He was a typical spoiled child that had everything handed to him including a beautiful house that he did not have to pay for. Anyway, the young hopeful would sleep until noon, come in at one or two-ish, and finish up the day promptly at four-thirty on the dot. The business he inherited was actually a start-up business and his mother assumed he would earn his way by putting in long hours, working hard, and making his mother proud of him. Alas, as you can see, this was not to be. The reason I mention him at all is that he once said something that showed the depth of his character in just a few words. One afternoon, the talk in the office was about honesty. His words, I remember to this very day. He said, "I will be as honest as I have to be." I could never trust him after he said that and it wasn't very long that he and I parted company.
God tells us that we should observe what is right and do what is just. In other words, to have a good relationship with God it helps a lot to be honest in all your dealings. Think about it. This is much easier said than done. Sometimes honestly answering a question can hurt peoples feelings. While we need to be honest, we need to temper our honesty with just a touch of mercy. Brutal honesty is not necessary but coaching a friend if they are doing something outrageous is an act of kindness.
God deals with us in this same way. When we sin against Him, He would be within His rights to hurl a lightning bolt or two at us. Instead of this God gently tries to point the way for us. He remains calm, cool, and collected and never stoops to making us an offer we could not refuse. If after all is said and done we want to go our way, well, our way it is. God will wait until we figure out we are going wrong and be there to welcome us back.
I once worked for a family-owned company where the lady that owned it decided to turn the firm over to her son and let him the place. He was a typical spoiled child that had everything handed to him including a beautiful house that he did not have to pay for. Anyway, the young hopeful would sleep until noon, come in at one or two-ish, and finish up the day promptly at four-thirty on the dot. The business he inherited was actually a start-up business and his mother assumed he would earn his way by putting in long hours, working hard, and making his mother proud of him. Alas, as you can see, this was not to be. The reason I mention him at all is that he once said something that showed the depth of his character in just a few words. One afternoon, the talk in the office was about honesty. His words, I remember to this very day. He said, "I will be as honest as I have to be." I could never trust him after he said that and it wasn't very long that he and I parted company.
God tells us that we should observe what is right and do what is just. In other words, to have a good relationship with God it helps a lot to be honest in all your dealings. Think about it. This is much easier said than done. Sometimes honestly answering a question can hurt peoples feelings. While we need to be honest, we need to temper our honesty with just a touch of mercy. Brutal honesty is not necessary but coaching a friend if they are doing something outrageous is an act of kindness.
God deals with us in this same way. When we sin against Him, He would be within His rights to hurl a lightning bolt or two at us. Instead of this God gently tries to point the way for us. He remains calm, cool, and collected and never stoops to making us an offer we could not refuse. If after all is said and done we want to go our way, well, our way it is. God will wait until we figure out we are going wrong and be there to welcome us back.
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