Micah 6:1-4, 6-8 / Matthew 12:38-42
The World Cup 2026 has been going on for a couple of weeks now and it has captivated many people in the world.
Football is an exciting game and it has been called a beautiful game.
But it is also a contact sport, which means that there will be heavy and rough tackles, pushing and shoving, pulling and kicking (other than the ball)
It is a game that demands sportsmanship, which is defined as the ethical and honourable conduct when playing the game.
That requires the players to play fair, respect officials and respect the dignity of teammates and opponents.
However, that is not often the case, and even in the World Cup matches, there are controversies, and accusations of favouritism and match fixing.
The beautiful game is not that beautiful after all, primarily because of the flawed human desires and failings.
In the first reading, what could have been a beautiful relationship between God and His people was broken down because of the sinfulness and unfaithfulness of the people.
But the truth is that God was not demanding too much from His people.
What God is asking of His people is only this: to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with God.
That is also what God is asking of us, but we also know that at any one time, we have failed in at least one, if not all three of what God is asking of us.
Let us focus on acting justly, loving tenderly and walking humbly with God.
Then our relationship with God and with others will be beautiful.