Monday, November 8, 2021

 

Monday of the Thirty-second Week in ordinary Time

(Wisdom 1:1-7; Luke 17:1-6)

More than most of us, government officials are subject to corruption.  People pursue them because fortunes – no longer millions or billions, but sometimes trillions – are dependent on their decisions.  To stay morally righteous, they need wisdom.  To provide them with it, the author of the Book of Wisdom wrote his text.

Today’s passage constitutes the book’s beginning.  The author urges officials to love justice.  He does not mean the police or social equality but a solidly moral life.  He says that God cannot abide a deceitful person.  People commonly say, “God helps those who help themselves.”  The author has a different message.  He says that God helps those who seek Him with integrity.  That is, God will assist those who obey His commands and pray to Him for guidance.

Of course, the admonishments offered in this text applies to all of us.  We have to live righteously if we expect God to come to aid us.  We are wise as well to ask for the specific assistance we need to fulfill our responsibilities.

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