Thus says the LORD:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and give you plenty even on the parched land.
(Is 58:9b-14)
Biblical “holiness” is always practical, it’s almost always about justice: removing oppression from our midst (for example, systemic racism), bestowing bread on the hungry (not just a once a year hand-out). Maybe this Lent, if we want to get holy, we might need to get our hands dirty.
