Set Things Right

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to act on the injustice we witness and stand with Christ to help the “widows and orphans” of our political and social systems.

Working to set it Right

In the reading from the Prophet Isaiah, the people are instructed to set things right.

* [1:2–31] This chapter is widely considered to be a collection of oracles from various periods in Isaiah’s ministry, chosen by the editor as a compendium of his most characteristic teachings.

* [1:18–20] Let us set things right: the Hebrew word refers to the arbitration of legal disputes (Jb 23:7). God offers to settle his case with Israel on the basis of the change of behavior demanded above. For Israel it is a life or death choice; life in conformity with God’s will or death for continued disobedience.

(Isaiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 50 praises the Acceptable Sacrifice

* [Psalm 50] A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20).(Psalms, PSALM 50 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees.

* [23:1–39] The final section of the narrative part of the fifth book of the gospel is a denunciation by Jesus of the scribes and the Pharisees (see note on Mt 3:7). It depends in part on Mark and Q (cf. Mk 12:38–39; Lk 11:37–52; 13:34–35), but in the main it is peculiar to Matthew. (For the reasons against considering this extensive body of sayings-material either as one of the structural discourses of this gospel or as part of the one that follows in Mt 24–25, see note on Mt 19:1–23:39.) While the tradition of a deep opposition between Jesus and the Pharisees is well founded, this speech reflects an opposition that goes beyond that of Jesus’ ministry and must be seen as expressing the bitter conflict between Pharisaic Judaism and the church of Matthew at the time when the gospel was composed. The complaint often made that the speech ignores the positive qualities of Pharisaism and of its better representatives is true, but the complaint overlooks the circumstances that gave rise to the invective. Nor is the speech purely anti-Pharisaic. The evangelist discerns in his church many of the same faults that he finds in its opponents and warns his fellow Christians to look to their own conduct and attitudes.(Matthew, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB, n.d.)

Sara Schulte-Bukowinski comments that Lent is a time for introspection, simplicity, and sacrifice. 

It is a time to ask God to help me turn my heart yet again, and reform me in God’s own ways. In this season I am reminded that a middle ground is more difficult than an extreme. It doesn’t have the gratifying self-righteousness of absolute discipline, or the gratifying luxury of self-indulgence. The middle doesn’t feel “washed clean.” Yet this is where I believe God meets us. (Schulte-Bukowinski, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Who are the proud?” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Who are the proud? Those who do not perform penance and confess their sins in order to be healed through humility. Who are the proud? Those who attribute to themselves the few good qualities they seem to possess and endeavor to diminish the mercy of God. Who are the proud? Those who, while attributing to God the good they accomplish, insult others for not performing such works and raise themselves above them." (Commentary on Psalm 93, 15)(Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 asks how are you going to love your neighbor during this Lent? Maybe you can help in the soup kitchen at your parish or donate some of your clothes to the needy. The options are endless!

During this season in which we turn our hearts to the Lord, let’s make it a priority to love our neighbor. Let’s make justice our aim so that “the orphan’s plea” does not go unnoticed and “the widow” does not remain alone (Isaiah 1:17). Let’s imitate Jesus’ love so that we can produce the fruit of joy, peace, and mercy.

“Lord, help me to turn my heart to you by loving others as you love me!”

(Meditation on Isaiah 1:10, 16-20, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes how the early chapters of Isaiah address social injustice referring to widows and orphans in a manner similar to Amos. The “loose and bind” power of the Pharisees had become an over-scrupulous interpretation of the Law and presentation of their position in their visible tassels and phylacteries. Friar Jude reminds us of the message to be humble and avoid pride and arrogance.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Biblical scholar Ched Myers who writes of the prominence of immigrants in the Scriptures. The Gospel writers portray Jesus as a refugee in need of hospitality.

The gospel story begins with Jesus’ family fleeing violence as political refugees, pushed around Palestine by the imperial forces of Caesar and Herod (Matthew 2; Luke 2). The adult Jesus not only characterizes himself as homeless (“the Human One has nowhere to lay his head,” Luke 9:58), but stateless. “My kingdom is not of this world,” he says before the Roman procurator (John 18:36). The evangelists also portray Jesus as a constant recipient of hospitality who sometimes even “invites himself in” (see, for example, Luke 19:5). [2] (Richard Rohr, n.d.)

 

We witness the persecution of the “other” as rampant in our world and implore the Spirit to arouse our courage and faith to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and rejected.

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/1?10 

Matthew, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/23?1 

Meditation on Isaiah 1:10, 16-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/03/18/1228702/ 

Psalms, PSALM 50 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/50?8 

Richard Rohr. (n.d.). Welcoming Strangers in Scripture. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/welcoming-strangers-in-scripture/ 

Schulte-Bukowinski, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/031825.html 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings. dailyscripture.net. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=mar18 

Thanksgiving and Struggle for the Good

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate being thankful in our struggle for truth, beauty, and good even as we encounter the paradox of discord resulting from our efforts.

Family peace

The reading from the Prophet Isaiah urges the people to “cease to do evil, learn to do good;”

 * [1:10–17] A powerful indictment of the religious hypocrisy of rulers and others who neglect just judgment and oppress the weaker members, yet believe they can please God with sacrifices and other external forms of worship. The long list of observances suggests the Lord’s tedium with such attempts. Sodom…Gomorrah: the names are picked up from v. 9, but now to emphasize their wickedness rather than the good fortune of escaping total destruction.1

Psalm 50 celebrates “Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me.”

 * [Psalm 50] A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20).2

The instructions of Jesus to His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew warn that not peace, but a sword may show division in families over their teaching.

 * [10:40–42] All who receive the disciples of Jesus receive him, and God who sent him, and will be rewarded accordingly.3

Mike Cherney is reminded that there are differences within families. As we mature, we start to establish our own identities. We start to have different thoughts and feelings from some family members. We have distinctive experiences and might not possess similar values. In short, our biological family may not be as homogeneous as we had imagined. This is perhaps clearest when politics or religion come up as topics at the Thanksgiving dinner table. We have our beliefs and they are not uniformly shared among those with whom we share DNA. He finds consideration of his attachments to his family, home, and the various “tribes” to which he gives his assent is part of today’s Gospel challenge. He closes with how St. Ignatius expressed this in prayer.

 Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me.To Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will.Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.4

Don Schwager quotes “How peace requires a sword,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

 "What sort of peace is it that Jesus asks them to pronounce upon entering each house? And what kind of peace is it of which the angels sing, 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace'? And if Jesus came not to bring peace, why did all the prophets publish peace as good news? Because this more than anything is peace: when the disease is removed. This is peace: when the cancer is cut away. Only with such radical surgery is it possible for heaven to be reunited to earth. Only in this way does the physician preserve the healthy tissue of the body. The incurable part must be amputated. Only in this way does the military commander preserve the peace: by cutting off those in rebellion. Thus it was also in the case of the tower of Babel, that their evil peace was ended by their good discord. Peace therefore was accomplished. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 35.1)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:34–11:1 comments that we all have crosses to bear; it comes with living in a fallen world. We could grudgingly resign ourselves to them. Or out of love for God, we could accept them with peace and trust and try to be as loving and merciful to those involved as Jesus is to us. So if we are caring for a family member with a mental illness, we can do it lovingly and with prayerful trust in the Lord. If we have to relate to a difficult boss each day, we can do it with forbearance and kindness. If we are serving in a ministry to the poor or the homeless, we can serve even on days when we would rather be doing something else.

 The late superior general of the Jesuit order, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, once wrote, “What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.” Being in love with God will decide everything in our lives, including how we take up and respond to our crosses each day. The world’s greatest love story is our story as well. Because God loved us first, we are able to bear our crosses with the love and joy of a lover—and that makes all the difference!
“Lord Jesus, help me to take up my cross and follow after you today with a heart full of love.”6

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the social justice called for from Isaiah. Widows and orphans are symbolic of those who have no one to take their side. Friar Jude proposes a mental test to determine if we place someone over God in our lives.

StAnthonyCompanions · July 13, 2020

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Dorothy Day (1897–1980) gives us a clear example of a contemplative activist. In her case, she began with activism, converted to Catholicism around age 30, and eventually lived out her two callings in a powerful and effective way. Fr. Richard’s friend, John Dear, himself a contemplative activist, writes this about Dorothy Day.

 Dorothy Day’s spirituality and her social witness were equally rooted in the radical implications of the Incarnation. In Christ God assumed our humanity. And we could not worship God without honoring God’s image in our fellow human beings. We should feed them when they are hungry; shelter them when they are homeless. We should not torture them; we should not kill them.
In the 1950s Day and the Catholic Worker took on a more activist profile. She was repeatedly jailed for refusing to take shelter during compulsory civil defense drills in New York City. In the 1960s her activities reflected the turbulence of the times—protesting the Vietnam War, fasting in Rome during the Second Vatican Council to advance the cause of peace. She was last arrested while picketing with the United Farm Workers in 1973 at the age of seventy-five.7

The struggle for justice and care for our 21st Century “widows and orphans” is particularly needed in these Covid 19 days. We are aware of opposition and persecution from those in fear of loss of power, privilege, or wealth as we work as Jesus disciples.

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/1
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 50. Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/50
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10. Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture .... Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
6	(2020, July 13). Saint Henry (Optional Memorial) - The Word Among Us. Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/07/13/174156/
7	(n.d.). Peace and Advocacy for the Poor — Center for Action and .... Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://cac.org/peace-and-advocacy-for-the-poor-2020-07-13/