Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly
Scripture
Micah 6: 6-8: And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Mark 10: 17-31: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
Meditation
We – not me. The prophet warns the people what faithfulness to God’s covenant means: “…and what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? God has shown us what is good, asking us to do justice by loving kindness and walking humbly with God. The love that God invites us into is always a love which gathers us into communion: we – not me. This insight makes all the difference in how we “do justice”. To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God, calls Christians to act together.
“Walking humbly” was challenging for the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He had obeyed all the commandments from his youth, but he could not take the further step to join Jesus’ disciples because of his wealth; he was beholden to his possessions. How difficult it is for us to let go of that which we perceive as riches.
Prayer
Gracious and loving God, expand our vision with all of our Christian brothers and sisters, to show forth the justice and loving kindness of your kingdom. Help us to welcome our neighbors as your Son welcomed us. Help us to be more generous as we witness to the grace that you freely give us. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.