The lessons for today remind me of my priorities as a Christian. If I am to follow Jesus, I need to choose the way of faithfulness and justice with my whole heart all of the time. That is difficult for me to do. I cannot say, as does the Psalmist in Chapter 119:20 that “My soul is consumed with longing for thy ordinances at all times.” And while I have chosen the way of faithfulness for my life, God’s testimonies and ordinances are not always on my mind and in my heart. My life is not the model sacrifice. But when I read Matthew 9:9-13, I am encouraged. Jesus says, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”
Jesus says, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ ” My reflections today are on what these words mean to me. When Jesus says that he came not for the righteous, but for sinners, I know he came for me. I don’t think of sinners as particularly evil people, but people like me who are not always righteous. We can offer sacrifices, but our giving up of what we think is precious to better align ourselves with God’s greater goodness is not so important to Jesus as the compassion we show to others in distress. Mercy is that higher level of compassion we show others even when we have the power or legitimacy of justice to punish them or take advantage of them.
So when I read Amos 8:4-6, 9-12, I think God is reminding the faithful like me to show mercy to the needy and the poor. But not just in the form of charity or by making sacrifices. Jesus taught us that there are many opportunities for some to take advantage of others who are less powerful economically. We can buy their goods for less than they are worth. We can hire their labor for less than it is worth. We can charge more for our goods than they are worth, perhaps not personally, but certainly collectively, as members of a wealthy nation that buys cheap goods from poor nations whose currency has less value. We also benefit by living in a rich nation that controls or greatly influences the values of other nations’ currency and the prices of raw materials, labor, and goods throughout the world. I think the lessons today are asking me to show mercy to those poor and needy nations rather than wish to bring them to an end.
More than ever, the issues of peace anywhere in the world affect all of us. The faithful are called to consider what is just as Americans attempt to influence peace processes. This is difficult enough for us to do because we always let our national self-interests intervene. But even more difficult than promoting justice is the practice of extending mercy. I pray that all Americans, and particularly our leaders, can show mercy in the ongoing peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians and elsewhere around the world.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
