It is interesting that of all the things Micah could have mentioned about what God might require of us, “walking humbly with your God” was mentioned in the same breath as acting justly and loving mercy. The crux of this, to my mind, is that in humility we recognize our own fallibility and propensity to sin. Humility is a self-corrective mechanism. Where there is no humility, there is little avenue for change, improvement and correction.
In the past few weeks the Pope and the Catholic Church have come under tremendous fire for many child abuse scandals that have happened especially during a time when the Church held tremendous spiritual power over her members. Newsweek even carried an article, in its 3 May 2010 issue, entitled “Bringing the Pope to Justice”.
In a recent interview, Pope Benedict XVI said “the clerical child abuse scandal shows that the greatest threat to Catholicism comes from sin within the Church.” In acknowledging and taking ownership of the scandal the Pope has walked down the road that Micah had described, to “walk humbly with your God.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8674350.stm
One can dismiss this as a mere PR exercise but the fact remains that this is the right posture to assume, and the right response to very damaging accusations.
“Today we see in a truly terrifying way that the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from outside enemies, but is born of sin within the Church,” the pontiff told reporters on a plane bound for Portugal. Benedict said the Church has “a very deep need” to acknowledge that it must do penance for its sins and “accept purification”. However, he added that forgiveness should not be a substitute for justice.
One of the things that has puzzled me is why the BN government has not been forthcoming with information and swift investigation whenever scandals and wrong-doing within its own administration arise. The government seems to be constantly defensive, almost as a reflex response. After so many months since the PKFZ scandal broke we now know precious little about what has happened. Someone has been indicted but beyond that there is little evidence that the government has rigorously pursued the matter, much less admitted that something has gone horribly wrong on their watch.
Similarly the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC building. To quickly suggest that he committed suicide seems to me an indecent haste to absolve itself of any wrongdoing. The IGP’s response in the wake of Aminulrasyid was frankly disturbing.
“If you do not want the police to enforce the law, then say so,” he said.
“Let me know so that I can tell my men to not take any action, including conducting inspections on vehicles or arresting Mat Rempits who ride without licences.
“But as police officers it is our responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the public which we would not compromise on,” he told reporters after launching a blood donation drive at the National Blood Bank in conjunction with the 203rd Police Day celebrations here yesterday.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/30/nation/6164363&sec=nation
And it would have been amusing, if it weren’t so disturbing, to read a Malay Mail article entitled “Fatal shooting of 15 year old Aminulrasyid Amzah: Not wrong to say sorry, says NGOs”. When even saying sorry for killing someone’s 15 year old son is a problem what hope is there that there will be real reform?
What is so wrong or difficult about allowing the light of truth to shine on these dark incidents? What is wrong about acknowledging that something has gone really wrong? Isn’t it true that when leaders have the courage to admit sin and darkness in order to take steps to rectify these misdeeds that they gain stature and authority?
There is, to my mind, a widespread belief that something is very wrong in our society and that much of it stems from the leadership. Racial schisms are being allowed to become entrenched even as politicians mouth slogans.Yet in the light of the uproar that the “Program Melayu Bangkit” Event has caused, and the unease it has created among Malaysians, Najib merely ordered it to be postponed. If he has ever voiced his opposition to the event, I have not heard it.
Walk humbly with your God.
There was an interesting incident recorded in John 9, where Jesus healed a blind man. The Pharisees got into the act because the healing happened on a Sabbath. At the end, Jesus made a pointed remark:
39Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus responded with these ominous words:
41Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
When we are unable to admit wrong and instead defend the indefensible, we shut the door to redemption. The guilt remains.
The Micah Mandate is a Christian-based public interest advocacy ministry that seeks a transformation of our nation through justice, mercy and humility.
