Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil;
learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.
Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be red like crimson,
they may become white as wool. (Isaiah 1:16-18 NABRE)
Speaking truth to power. That was Isaiah.
While there is much historical context and cultural difference, the folks to whom Isaiah addressed these words of indictment were not too different from us.
Are you comfortable with yourself, as I am? Are you satisfied in your life? These are good things, but be on guard. Take a close look at your heart. Approach the sensitive parts and challenge yourself to be honest about anything you should probably change.
Lord help me to see myself as you see me. Help me recognize the ways I allow this world to lure me away from you and your will, the ways I allow this world to fool me into a false sense of understanding of what is right and good, and the ways I allow this world to seduce me with its fleeting pleasures and contentments. Lord Jesus, by your Spirit, lead me willingly along the path you set for my life so that the pull of this world withers a little more each day.
Today, I will ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to change my scarlet to white.
Saint Benedict, Abbot and patron of Europe, those with kidney disease and poisoning, and school children, pray for us.
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