ST. BONAVENTURE, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (MEMORIAL)

Make justice your aim. 

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah around 740 BC, God confronted the people of Jerusalem. He called them “princes of Sodom” and branded their Temple sacrifices as “worthless” and “loathsome” (Isaiah 1:10, 13). He even refused to listen to their prayers (1:15).

What was the problem? It wasn’t the sacrifices and prayers themselves; it was the injustices that the people were pursuing against the poor and vulnerable when they weren’t praying (Isaiah 1:17). They seemed to think that as long as they were performing the prescribed rituals, it didn’t matter if they took advantage of the poor.

But just the opposite is the case, for the Israelites and for us. What we do matters—especially what we do to help the oppressed. If we ignore their needs, we are not just hurting them; we are also hurting our relationship with the Lord. Our sins cast a shadow over our hearts and obscure our ability to experience his presence. Over time, if we continue to turn a deaf ear to “the orphan’s plea” and fail to “defend the widow” (Isaiah 1:17), we risk cutting ourselves off from God completely.

Today’s reading is clear: our sins offend God. But not just because we’ve “broken the rules.” They offend him because we are ignoring his children’s needs. It hurts him to see them suffering while their brothers and sisters in Christ look the other way.

Let Isaiah’s words today act as a wake-up call. Sin, especially lack of concern for the poor, is offensive to God. But that’s not the whole story. Even today, the Lord continues to call out through the words of Isaiah: “Wash yourselves clean!” (1:16). His mercy, higher than the heavens and more powerful than any sin, can take away our guilt. Even today, his words are full of hope: “Make justice your aim” (1:17). His Spirit, more pervasive than human indifference and more attractive than wealth and comfort, can give us hearts of compassion for the needy.

Know that if you take just one step closer to the Lord, he will take a thousand steps closer to you. If you take just one step closer to caring for his poor, he will meet you there and fill you with his grace.

“Lord, help me to make justice my aim!”

Isaiah 1:10-17
Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
Matthew 10:34–11:1