Tuesday - Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13 Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD; wherever it pleases him, he directs it. All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes, but it is the LORD who proves hearts. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart– the tillage of the wicked is sin. The plans of the diligent are sure of profit, but all rash haste leads certainly to poverty. Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is chasing a bubble over deadly snares. The soul of the wicked man desires evil; his neighbor finds no pity in his eyes. When the arrogant man is punished, the simple are the wiser; when the wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. The just man appraises the house of the wicked: there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin. He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard. What is the difference between being righteous and self-righteous? To be self-righteous, in our modern context, is often said of someone who is seen as pompous and judgmental in their faith life. It is a term that has more to do about placing one’s self above others, being condescending due to a misplaced sense of superiority because of their faith. In our reading today, another dimension of being self-righteous is to declare one’s self righteous, even if the person is living a life that is far separated from God. In either understanding of the word, there is a constant thread in understanding self-righteousness: The presumption that we can declare ourselves to be righteous. The true sense of righteousness is to be in right relationship with God. Therefore, to be righteous does imply that we are to strive to live a life of holiness, but, ultimately, it is not we who declare ourselves to be righteous before God, but rather it is something that God accomplishes in us. Through the grace that God bestows upon us through the Sacraments, particularly the Sacraments of Initiation, we are incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ and then are called to live a life of faith as a member of this Body. Therefore, God places us in right relationship and then we are to express that relationship in a life of faith, hope, and love. To delve into the question of righteousness explores one of the long standing debates between Christians - what does it mean to be in right relationship with God, to be justified, and what happens to us once we are justified? In light of the Protestant Reformation, much can be said about the debates and differences on the questions of righteousness and justification. For now, let us focus upon the core truth of how we are put into right relationship with God: 1. God alone is the source of our righteousness and justification; 2. Justification is a gift from God through Jesus Christ; and, 3., Once put into right relationship, we cooperate with God’s grace to grow in holiness in the process of being perfected in Jesus Christ. St. Irenaeus of Lyons spoke of this process as “Recapitulation,” or the process of how Jesus Christ would go back to the core wound created by Original Sin and then slowly restore all things in himself. Therefore, we have a theology of moving from brokenness to wholeness, sinfulness to forgiveness, and outside of God’s love and mercy to being in right relationship with God through the love of Jesus Christ and our embracing of that love. Spiritual exercise: Pray to be righteous in the healthy sense. Avoid the trap of being self-righteous, declaring ourselves to be in right relationship with God. Seek out God’s Grace in the Sacraments applicable to your life condition and receive God’s forgiveness, allowing God to heal our brokenness in the love of Jesus Christ. For more on the Reformation and Justification, here is a clip from Fr. Barron that nicely summarizes this debate through analyzing the Council of Trent.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 12:53:59 +0000