Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Readings of the Day

Today’s first reading challenges us to place obedience to God before all else.  In one of the Bible’s most dramatic stories, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are threatened with fire by Nebuchadnezzar if they don’t worship his god.  Their bold refusal is inspiring, and they are vindicated when God protects them from the heat and Nebuchadnezzar repents.

One of the challenges of working for Catholic Charities is the burden of feeling like we need to do everything. There is so much injustice in the world, and it is impossible to respond to every issue.  This requires us to make choices about what issues to engage and how to engage them.  And because everyone has their own ideas about what issues are most important, I regularly hear from people wondering why the Church is not doing more about this issue or that issue.  Thankfully, in my work at Catholic Charities, no one has threatened to throw me into the white-hot furnace (at least not yet). 

However, I am often tempted to put the approval of others before God.  I might post something on social media, simply to show others that “I care.”  Or I might stress about all the things I am not doing to the point that I become immobilized by anxiety.  When it comes to responding to injustice, there is constant noise that says do more, more, more, and it can be easy to respond to the noise to make myself look better in the eyes of others.

While responding to injustice is a good thing, I have had to learn that I am not personally called to respond to every injustice.  Instead, I know in these situations that I need to pause and ask God, “What are you asking of me?”  If God is not asking me to do something, I must be willing to let it go, even if it might upset someone else.  I’m not always very good about doing this, but I know it’s the only way for me to thrive in my position.

Letting God direct my response to injustice also helps me remember that the world already has a Savior and it’s not me, something we can all be thankful for. 

Peter Weiss is the Director of Living Justice with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay. In the role since 2017, Peter shares the good news of Catholic Social Teaching and raises awareness about issues of injustice in the world.

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