Blessings of the Righteous

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today offers texts which present an opportunity to consider the nature of righteousness. Being in right relationship to the Divine is the condition sought by believers. Both Paul and the psalmist cite generous givers as being righteous. We have read of believers of one tradition identifying believers of other traditions as “righteous Gentile” for actions which often have involved risking life to protect the “other”. The history of my wife’s Christian family in Lebanon contains a story of being honoured by a Muslim family for righteous action. Righteous people are out there and involved. The Gospel of Matthew prescribes the technique for righteous practice of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. The self righteous may be too visible. The righteous are present and require us to look and listen more carefully to experience the witness they provide of lives in resonance with the Spirit.