September 28 • 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Justice Bulletin Board
Woe to the complacent in Zion!—Amos 6: 1
Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry—Psalms 146: 7
Last week I wrote about how the prophets would criticize or energize people in order to persuade them to once again turn toward God and God’s covenant with them. The two quotes above from today’s readings continue that tradition. I am not so sure that these two methods have really worked all that well after 2000+ years. Catholic guilt only goes so far, and the world seems to have far more interesting enticements to excite people. This begs the question, what strategy would a modern-day prophet use?
The appeal to conscience probably still has the biggest draw. Pope John XXIII said so in Pacem in Terris when he wrote, “The Creator of the World has imprinted in man’s heart an order which his conscience reveals to him and enjoins him to obey.” Conscience has a biblical foundation. Though the term does not appear in Jewish scriptures, the writings do say a lot about heart. The heart in Jewish understanding is the core of the human being in which each person is most uniquely oneself and face to face with God. The gospels continue this understanding where the Semitic term “heart” is synonymous with conscience. Let us look at some of the statements from modern-day prophets:
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”—Mother Teresa
“The greatest challenge in our day is to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start within each one of us.”—Dorothy Day
“Beautiful is the moment in which we understand that we are no more than an instrument of God; we live only as long as God wants us to live; we can only do as much as God makes us able to do; we are only as intelligent as God would have us be.”―Archbishop Oscar A. Romero, from his last homily, 1980
Conscience calls on a person to be authentic especially to his/her deepest instincts for the good. Here you find interior motivation, not someone or something telling you what to do. A modern-day prophet would encourage us to reflect on what it means for our lives to have meaning, to come and see with our hearts the wider world and those suffering in it. Reflect. Come and see. You can come and see at: socialconcern@hnojcathedral.org
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC