SPECIAL ISSUE: OUR LADY’S MISSIONARIES
Called to live in communion
Guest editorial by Sr. Suzanne Marshall, O.L.M.
“This is what God asks of you, only this, to act with justice, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)
At first glance this message from the prophet Micah may sound rather simple, but it is really a tall order. And if we were to live our lives according to this prophetic stance what a different place our world would be. Can we do it? I don’t think we have a choice if we want to sustain life on this planet, if we want to leave a world for all the children who come after us and who have the right to a life of blessings.
What exactly is the prophet Micah talking about when he speaks of justice? Biblical justice demands right relationships among all God’s creatures. This includes us but goes well beyond us to all that God has made, “and God saw that it was good.” All life is interconnected. We are all in relationship. We are all one family. We are all God’s dearly beloved.
If we could uncover all that we hope for, all that we think we need to be happy, if we could get past our fears and prejudices, we would find at the core of our being a deep thirst for communion with God and with each other. That is our peace. That is who we are.
And if we really tried to live this justice, we would find that our love for each other would be quite tender, and that only through God’s grace and not our own efforts can we even try to live as we should. So love and humility fall into their place. Does that make sense? Let’s go for it.∞