Results for "Do Justice"

          Is not this the fast that I choose:                   to loose the bonds of injustice,          to undo the thongs of the yoke,                   to let the oppressed go free,                   and to break every yoke?          Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,                   and bring the homeless poor into your house;          when you see the… Continue reading The fast I choose

        Blessed are the poor in spirit,         for theirs is the realm of God.                  —Matthew 5.3 God, may I be an empty vessel for you.Bless my willingness to have nothing to offerexcept your presence in me,and my trust in your grace in this world. Bless my willingness to mourn for my losses,to weep with those who suffer,… Continue reading Poor in spirit

         Having been warned in a dream         not to return to Herod,          they left for their own country by another road.                  —Matthew 2.12 Herod, that sleaze, dressed in acceptability,will entice me into evil in a thousand ways,the collusion of silence, the assistance of normalizing terror, demonizing people,the great undertaking of fear and selfishness,even mere judgment of another,all… Continue reading Another road

In our northern woods we hunger for the sun.Our neighbors in Australia suffer intense heat.This is the solstice: what is winter for meis summer for you; that both are joined. God pulls the mighty down from their thronesand raises and empowers the lowly.This is justice: that we are in this together, that life is never… Continue reading Solstice

         You have brought down the powerful from their thrones,                   and lifted up the lowly;          you have filled the hungry with good things,                   and sent the rich away empty.                                     —Luke 1.52-53 Mary, peasant prophet, who changed historywithout a man’s permission or patronage,who married heaven and earth in your flesh,Mary, Virgin Mother, Queen of Heaven,whose submission is… Continue reading Fire in the lily

         The wolf shall live with the lamb,         the calf and the lion and the fatling together,         and a little child shall lead them.                         — Isaiah 11.6                  It’s easy to get the lion to lie down with the lamb.It just takes a lot of lambs. We have to be willing to be strong yet vulnerable.We need to have the courage… Continue reading Gutsy lambs

         “If you are the king, save yourself!”                  —Luke 23.37 Condemned, scorned and disposed of,whose life does not matter,enthroned under the weight of a cross,crowned with pain and humiliation,holding a scepter of powerlessness:the little man is a sad excuse for a king. That is, if you seek an unmoved mover,removed, impervious,who will excuse you from life,enabling you… Continue reading Suffering sovereign

         “Though I have no fear of God          and no respect for anyone,          yet because this widow keeps bothering me,          I will grant her justice.”                                    —Luke 18.4-5 The judge never does change his mind.He will never be her advocate.He’s just trying to get off easy. My sin is like that judge.I may be forgiven, my guilt washed… Continue reading Corrupt judge

         “We are merely slaves;          we have done only what we ought to have done!’”                  —Luke 17.10 Admire the heroes.Let their focus and perseverance fill you.But don’t bother trying to emulate them:you’ll only feel inadequate. Listen for what you yourself are called to do,the gyroscope in you that leans you,the magnet that pulls you toward something.Merely do… Continue reading Mere slaves

Beloved,sometimes I feel so small and lost.Do you hear my little cries?Do you even notice you’re missing me?In the gritty, lonely places where I need you,in pain and struggle,in the ordinary relationships,you are so absent.In the face of injustice and sufferingyou aren’t there when I need you. I am right here and yet I feel… Continue reading Lost sheep