| HOMILY: Righteousness What does it mean to be righteous? The Old Testament verse, above, likens righteous to the "true of heart." The dictionary describes a righteous person as "morally right or justifiable; virtuous." Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6) A whole site devoted to "What is Righteousness" gives bible definitions that are very helpful in getting a grip on the meaning of "righteous," the adjective and "righteousness," the noun. The two best ones besides the one of Jesus above are: ‘A man is called righteous by the things he does, not just by his faith.’ (James 2: 24) BUT: ‘Be careful not to do righteous things in front of men so they can see what you are doing. Otherwise, you won’t have a reward with your Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 6: 1) Just because righteous begins with the letters r-i-g-h-t, does not make it mean the same thing as the word, "right". In today's parley, claiming to be "right" can easily be "wrong" depending upon many circumstances, but being righteous always means the same thing. Being self-righteous is a whole (n)other thing. Self-righteous is a state of being wrong when thinking one (oneself) is righteous. Here we have cases of the hypocrite, holier-than-thou, superiority complex, and downright ignorant! Too, righteousness is a word indicating a path to holiness or godliness. Right is a word usually indicating an opinion or an answer to Trivial Pursuit. A pithy, New Age saying is, " I'd rather be happy than right!" So, speaking of happiness, how's your happy today? Are you joyful and grateful for all of your blessings, or faking it? Today's song, below, is about The Righteous Path as sung by The Driveby Truckers. To me, it is a cry for help from some of our countrymen who need our love and prayers. It is a sad song, but a true song and the Bible verse above says the righteous have a true heart. Let's not be self-righteous as the Pharisee (Luke 18: 9-14) and judgmental when listening to this song. These are our brothers. Heavenly Father, Thank you for the many blessings you have poured on us through the years. Forgive us for all our gripes and complaining. Forgive us for our harsh words to those with whom we live and our unrighteous judgments of others which come so swiftly to mind and tongue. Bless our families, friends, neighbors, enemies (those who wish us ill), and world. Let the Christ light shine on our country and may our voting next week bring the best leaders to unite us in righteousness. In the name of Eesa M'sheeka we pray, Amen. Respectfully submitted, J. Sue Gagliardi Week Five Parshah: Cheyei Sarah Genesis 23: 1-25: 18 |
| "May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Oh Lord, My Rock and Redeemer." Psalms 19:14 Dearest Lord of my being, Thank you for blessing me with all that I need to be the best that I can be. I am so grateful for your love, light, and peace. May I always be aware of your presence and may I love and honor you above all things. I need you in my heart, in my soul, and in my life now and forever. Amen |
| astrologizing.net Sabbath Devotionals The Sabbath; Sat. Oct. 30, 2010 |
| BIBLE READING NEW TESTAMENT 2 Thessalonians 1:5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God... |
| BIBLE READING OLD TESTAMENT Psalm 32: 12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; shout for joy, all who are true of heart. |
