17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah spoke of the expectations of the Lord God that were not only applicable in Old Testament times, but in our times as well. In Micah 6:6-8 it is written: “You have been told, Oh man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” And yet, throughout salvation history there has been a tendency on the part of human beings to ignore God, or at best, be complacent in their relationship with God. Perhaps this complacency towards God comes from the human weaknesses of selfishness, greed, self-centeredness, laziness, or indifference. What God asks is not burdensome! God asks only that his people do right, love goodness, and walk in humility with him. The Lord God asks the same of us today as he did in ancient times.

We definitely have advantages – we have Jesus who revealed the Father to us, we have the Church that carries on the teaching and sacramental mission of Jesus, and we have the Holy Spirit who resides within us. Jesus showed us what was right and good and humble. He taught us about feeding the hungry and caring for the sick; about praying to the Father and obeying the Father’s will; about forgiving our enemies and asking forgiveness of those whom we have offended. He showed us how to take up our cross daily and carry it. When we put all these things into practice in our daily lives, then selfishness, greed, laziness, and indifference are overcome and we begin to live as true disciples of the Lord.