Sowing justice

In today's first reading,  Hosea 10: 1-3, 7-8, 12, the prophet tells Israel that it "is a luxurious vine whose fruit matches its growth. The more abundant his fruit, the more altars he built; the more productive his land, the more sacred pillars he set up. Their heart, [though, Hosea says,] is false....God shall break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars.....Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rains down justice upon you."

In the first part of our lives we are about the business, if you will, of becoming luxurious vines whose fruit match our growth."  We attain degrees and need to do that. We make our mark in the world, making a difference in other people's lives, growing in maturity.  Hopefully, we move from a self-centered life to an other-centered lives. We grow in grace and wisdom,  and not, in the words of Hosea, building altars to ourselves and forgetting about justice, forgetting to seek the Lord and His Ways, His Truth and His Life.

If our hearts are false, that is,  if we are building altars to ourselves by our accumulation of materials things that we do not need for building up the Kingdom of God; or if we are focusing only on ourselves and not on sacrificing ourselves as Jesus did for the welfare of others, God will gently and mercifully "break down...[our] altars and destroy...[our] sacred pillars". Only then will be we ready to "sow...justice"--that is putting other people's needs on an equal footing with our own or putting others before ourselves, being concerned that their rights are protected as much as our own. We will begin relating to others as modeled by the Trinity, where all are equal and all participate in giving and receiving of that fullness to each other and to persons beyond themselves, you and I!