“You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
This verse from chapter six of the Prophet Micah is arguably one of the most familiar verses of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is set with an interesting collection of verses that reminded me of several things while I was listening to them this morning.
The first thing that caught my attention is that chapter six begins with Micah talking to the mountains and to the foundations of the earth. This reminded me of an incident that occurred when I was in grade school. One of my teachers (I believe it was my seventh grade teacher) became upset with the class because we were not paying attention to her. So she began addressing her questions to the classroom walls and answering the questions herself rather than calling on any of the students who had their hands raised. As I listened to Micah, I came to the conclusion that Micah was employing the same technique. Because the people of Israel were not paying attention to his preaching, he started addressing the mountains and the foundations of the earth.
Then I was intrigued by the fact that Micah asked “My people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!” (Micah 6:3) This question forms the basis of the “Reproaches” or “Improperia” of the Good Friday Liturgy. Over and over again, the question is put to us followed by a statement of all that God has done for us. I will admit that I thought the question came from Jeremiah, so I was somewhat startled by the question as I listened to the reading. It has been bouncing around in my head ever since and has made me think of all the things that God has done for me.
Finally, my attention was turned to that familiar eighth verse where we are told what is required of us. We deal with requirements every day of our lives. Much is required of us in school, in business, and in our work. The requirements which God places upon us are not burdensome. When one thinks about it carefully, all of the commandments and all of the expectations of a disciple of Jesus are wrapped up in these very simple words. Do Justice. Love Goodness. Walk humbly. Yet we seem to find it rather difficult. Once again the self-centeredness that we call sin makes these simple instructions almost counter-cultural.
Micah, like most of the prophets, was not successful in drawing the people back to God. It took the burden of slavery to another country to make them realize the waywardness of their steps. Their example beckons us to reexamine our own lives so that we can once more say that we are a people of justice, a people of love and humility.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator