Hungry for justice

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5.6

Today begins Christian Aid Week and because its theme - righteousness and justice - expresses the essence of prophecy, it seems appropriate to break off from focusing on individual prophets to spend some time exploring the impact of that essential theme from a contemporary perspective.

Righteousness has to do with right relationships - with God, creation, fellow creatures and within ourselves. Justice is about fairness for all. Together righteousness and justice describe the qualities of God's rule. The suffering of our present, fallen world is the consequence of our neglect of these cardinal qualities; their restoration at the heart of God's mission in the world and is the vocation of Israel, old and new (ie the Church).

During this week, believers are beckoned towards actions which involve personal sacrifice for the sake of others. Today's is to consider what we might give up in order to promote a fairer world. Don't worry if nothing comes to mind immediately. There is merit in taking time to pray and think about this...