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 doesn’t sound right!
I thought what God expects from me is to obey the Ten Commandments:
1. – I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.
2. – You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. – Remember to keep holy the LORD’S Day.
4. – Honor your father and your mother.
5. – You shall not kill.
6. – You shall not commit adultery.
7. – You shall not steal.
8. – You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. – You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. – You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
This is not such a hard list to follow—most religious people more or less do!
Besides the Ten Commandments, I thought what God expects from me is to obey the “Commandments of the Church”:
1. – Keep Sundays and Holidays of Obligation holy, by hearing Mass and resting from servile work.
2. – Keep the days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the Church.
3. – Go to Confession at least once a year.
4. – Receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once a year, and that about Easter time.
5. – Contribute to the support of our pastors.
6. – Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred, nor to solemnize marriage at the forbidden times.
In practice, this can be a somewhat more specific and demanding list to follow—but most “practicing Catholics” more or less do!
The danger of having religious laws, rules, and regulations to obey is that we may treat them like civil laws, rules, and regulations—that is to say, if we can “get away” with it, we may not observe and obey them as we should.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
that you may dwell in the land and
live secure.
Find your delight in the Lord
who will give you your heart’s desire.
(Psalm 37:3-4)
This doesn’t sound right either!
Do justice – love goodness – walk humbly with God – trust in the Lord – do good – find your delight in the Lord.
This seems like a very easy business, a bit vague but easy enough to do.
Ah, that’s the temptation—and misunderstanding—just because something sounds simple and easy doesn’t mean that it is!
A long or short checklist of specific duties, regulations, or rules is much easier to observe and follow than a short list of complex and challenging ideals.
When we were children, we learned how a good child should behave. When we were taught about going to confession before communion, we had a clear and easy checklist and self-accusations in mind.
It’s not good enough for us to behave like a child all our lives. It’s not enough to “go to confession” like you were first taught as a child. “Goodness” and “trust in the Lord” are much more than something you breakdown into a sort of spiritual scorecard!
Micah’s advice was right on—and still is easier said than done!
20 August 2023