Set things right: Spend 5 with Jesus: March 7, 2023

Justice is when people get what they deserve. While we can think about this definition and think it refers only to those who do wrong getting what they deserve, it also refers to people receiving the things they deserve: food, clothing, shelter and health care, and the opportunity to obtain them. And because of our failure to do these things, we must set things right.

Readings for Today

Set things right

Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

Justice is when people get what they deserve. While we can think about this definition and think it refers only to those who do wrong things getting what they deserve, it also refers to people receiving the things they deserve: food, clothing, shelter and health care, and the opportunity to obtain them. And because of our failure to do these things, we must set things right.

Our concern with justice must be a concern that people receive the things they need to live. People need to be treated in a way that values their dignity. It must be the case that we treat people the way we do because we recognize the connection between what they deserve as human beings made in God’s image and likeness and our vocation to be disciples of Jesus.

If there is anything, however, to remember during this season of Lent is the invitation from Jesus to celebrate the sacrament of confession. We can be made clean by the love, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus! We can receive the grace of the Holy Spirit to cease doing evil. We can receive God’s gift of wisdom to learn to do good.

Lent is a time of justice, either because we “redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea and defend the widow”, or because we recognize that Jesus did not only treat us with justice, but tempered his justice with his mercy so we could be saved.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.