I remember sometimes eating a meal when I was a kid and feeling like it was too much, and I was never going to be able to finish it. And the rule was, we did not get up until our meal was finished. When I just focused then on smaller sections instead of looking at the full plate, it made it a bit easier.

Today’s readings can feel overbearing in the same way. There is a lot of good and healthy food here, but looking at the whole is way too much!

So let me offer you a few smaller bites to chew on.

Righteous or righteousness, which appears at least five times in the first reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, is a legal term used in the Jewish lawcourt. Injustice brings about a break in the social fabric. The goal of the lawcourt is to restore that which has been broken, to make it righteous. The judge is righteous when they uphold the law, pronounce judgment, and above all are to be impartial, especially giving an equal hearing to widows and orphans. When the defendant who has been accused is acquitted, they are considered righteous, and all is restored that may have been lost. When this works well then reconciliation is restored to the community.

The ultimate judge is God. God is seeking to bring about the restoration of his creation from the effects of injustice, brought about by sinful and evil acts committed generation after generation. God sought to reestablish the proper order of his creation through establishing covenants throughout salvation history with his chosen people, through Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, and ultimately sending his Son to fulfill the law and the prophets by establishing the new and eternal covenant that is to be written on or hearts.

The ultimate goal then for God is to bring about universal justice. That all may be one as he and his Son through the love of the Holy Spirit are one. “We have all sinned and are deprived of the Glory of God”, yet through the death and resurrection of Jesus we are made new again.

By his Blood, by his unjust death, Jesus proves his righteousness. He restores that which has been lost by taking upon himself the sin and evil of the world, each of our sins. He enters death and conquers it, such that we who die with him in baptism will rise with him. We who place our faith, we who trust in Jesus, are made righteous through our participation in his life. We are restored to our proper ordering as daughters and sons of our loving God and Father.

Photo: Crucifix in the sanctuary of St. Vincent De Paul Chapel, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, October 19, 2023