December 2, 2013

Psalm 1, 2 , 3

Psalm 4, 7

Amos 2: 6-16

2 Peter 1:1-11

Matthew 21: 1-11

When I read and reflected upon the daily readings for this day, I was struck by the frequency with which the word “righteousness” seemed to appear. Some form of the word “right” can be found nine times in these readings. As I must admit that righteousness is one of those words that has negative connotations for me, I decided to investigate righteousness on the web.

First of all, I looked up the word on the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, and I quickly got to the root of my prejudice against righteous. The dictionary differentiates between righteousness and self-righteousness. Righteousness is defined as morally good: following religious and moral law. There is nothing offensive about that definition. It is only when you put the word “self” in front of “righteousness” that the word takes on a narrow-minded tone. I was definitely adding the word “self” into the texts of Psalms 1, 4 and 7; Amos 2 and 2 Peter 1 in my first reading.

Further exploration on Wikipedia indicated that the frequency with which righteousness appears in these biblical passages is no fluke. Righteousness is an important theological concept in many traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism and refers to living a life pleasing to the god(s) in that tradition. In fact, righteousness can be found more than 500 times in the Old Testament and more than 200 times in the New Testament.

Clearly, today’s readings deserved a closer look with a different lens. When I read the selections in the selected Psalms and passages in Amos and second letter of Peter with an open mind, I discovered righteousness has much to offer for my life, especially in the crazed, and often materialistic, Christmas season. While Amos takes a harsh tone about the consequences of living a life in contrast to God’s wishes, the  Psalms tell of the gifts granted by God for those whose “delight is in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 1: 2), including protection, peace and happiness. In the second letter to Peter, we are reminded that being righteous requires action, specifically being kind and showing love to others. If we can live righteously especially during the Christmas season, we do not need to worry about buying or getting the perfect gift, as Peter tells us, “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1: 3).