Psalm Reflection: The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

“The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” - Psalms 15

When I was in the fourth grade we were assigned an art project to make a book cover based on one of our favorite books. At the time, I was obsessed with the Spooksville series, which were a series of creepy stories for kids, similar to the Goosebumps books. I worked for weeks on my project and was so proud of it when it was finished. We turned them in and the next day our teacher handed  the graded projects back to everyone. Everyone got their project back except for me and another student, Shawn. The teacher then held up my project in front of the class and said, “this project did not have a name on it, who did this one?” I raised my hand, but so did Shawn. 

The teacher brought us both out into the hallway and asked us each to tell the truth. I was adamant that I had done it, but so was Shawn. He was making up stories about how long he had worked on it and what the story was about. I started to feel flooded with emotions: anger, panic, fear, sadness. 

Our teacher then did something genius, which I would later realize she stole right out of the Bible: 1 Kings 3:16-28 to be exact. She said, “I will give you both the lowest passing grade, if you both agree to let me tear up this project and throw it away.” Shawn, the liar with the pants on fire, agreed immediately. I, on the other hand, did not think it was fair and objected. I did not want all the hard work to go to waste, and I knew my project was worth a much higher grade. When the teacher saw how carelessly Shawn reacted and how invested I was, she knew it was my project and returned it to me with an exceptional grade. Shawn realized he had been tricked into revealing the truth and admitted that he did not complete the project and was trying to get off easy. Instead, he was sent to the principal’s office.

Justice.

As much as I liked seeing Shawn eat his words, justice is not about punishing bad people for wrongdoing or getting back at them: that is vengeance. Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it as, “the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor” (CCC 1807). When we give God the worship He deserves, we are living in a just, rightly ordered way. When we ensure that others have what they are owed by virtue of their dignity, we are practicing justice. It is not simply a comeuppance, but a recognition that everyone was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), and everyone should be treated in accordance with that reality.

The Psalmist for this Sunday goes so far as to say that if we practice justice, we will live in God’s presence. In other words, doing the work of justice is part of the recipe that gets us to Heaven. If we accept and respond to the free gift of salvation that Jesus won for us on the cross, then we will act differently. Jesus himself tells his followers that if they do not practice the corporal works of mercy (feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned, and bury the dead), we will not enter Heaven (Matthew 25:31-46).

We live in a world that is in danger of forgetting this entirely. People are so consumed with what they can get, and not what they can give. We care more about how to be influential and successful than we do about being generous and sacrificial. Scripture tells us that without works, our faith is dead and useless (James 2:17, 20). We must have a faith that goes beyond words, beliefs and ideologies. 

We need to give our faith hands and feet.

The world needs warriors for justice who are also firmly planted in the teachings of Jesus Christ. This is not an appeal to blindly follow and bandwagon every single social cause, because many have destructive political agendas that are contrary to Church teaching. Rather, it is a command from God to ensure that our brothers and sisters have what they need to live. 

So many people are trapped in comparison, always comparing what they have with those who have more. When we’re always looking up to what we do not have, we cannot see those looking up at us wishing they had the things we take for granted. To put it in food terms: do not look at your neighbors plate to see if they have a bigger piece that you do; the only time you should look at your neighbors plate is to make sure that they have enough.

That is what justice looks like. When more people practice justice, less people go hungry, feel forgotten, and end up marginalized. 

Justice is the hands and feet of faith.

That is why Jesus spoke so often about the poor, so we would not forget to give them their due and we would be reminded of all that has been given to us. This week, pray in thanksgiving for what you have, be grateful, and only look at your neighbor’s plate to ensure they have enough. When you notice someone that does not have enough, use your hands and feet to do something about it.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, September 1st, 2024, which is the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B: Psalms 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5.