The reading from Isaiah talks about reconciliation—getting back into synchronization, getting rid of the unnecessary and unimportant. Quite often we say we will get on the right path—look at all those New Year’s resolutions we make! But often in our path to a more direct, more appropriate way of living, we fall into the habit of making the pronouncement without considering the acts that need to accompany them. It’s easy to talk the talk; it’s more challenging to walk the walk. When the question of reconciliation goes out in Isaiah, the answer comes back as a wake-up call: atonement is a matter of:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
(Is 58:6-7)
Saying that one will take a course of action is one thing; but the actions join the words and make them complete. It seems hard. It may be hard. But it all starts with one step, one act.
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Since its inception in 1997, Online Ministries has been blessed to have myriad members of the Creighton University community offer their personal reflections on the daily scripture readings.
