Tuesday March 15, 2022
The corollary to yesterday’s readings is in today’s readings. Isaiah tells us that God wants action, and then blessings will follow! Isaiah calls us to redress wrong, care for the needy, and ask forgiveness. Today the psalmist says that praise is the only type of sacrifice God desires. Walking in the right way brings salvation. And so we don’t miss the point, Jesus, in Luke’s Gospel, warns against showy acts that have no heart. A performance that is devoid of praise will be seen by others, but God will take no notice of it. On the surface, this “walking in the right way” sounds just fine, maybe even easy, but putting it into practice is a whole different thing—it is much harder. I know that it is easy to grab my checkbook to help a good cause. But is my heart really in it if I am not willing to get my hands dirty? This is really hard for me. I don’t think of myself as a showman—doing something just to be seen and then lauded. Still, I’m not out there feeding the hungry with my own hands or the like. I do this blog as my outreach, but is it enough? I feel called to do this, but again I ask, is it enough? Yes, I sit on committees, go to rallies, assist at fund raisers, but I’m not in the trenches. I have some soul and heart searching to do.