The Inside and the Outside
“They who do justice will live in the presence of God.” So we sing again and again in the psalm today as a way of keeping this Word of God close to our mind and our heart. Biblical justice weaves throughout both of the Testaments. Justice in God’s eyes is about being in right relationship with God, self, and others. It is about letting God do re-creating work within us to make these relationships right.
In the gospel Jesus emphasizes how good actions and bad actions on our part have their origin within us. Constant interior cleansing and renewal are necessary. The letter of James reminds us, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.” Our actions of love and service demonstrate the rightness of relationships with God, self, and others.
What interior renewal does God want to do in your life? How are you called to be a “doer” of God’s Word?