Got Righteousness?

by Kyle Wiseley

On two different occasions this week I happened to be part of discussion groups where the meaning of the term “righteous” or “righteousness” was discussed. One group was our Wednesday lectionary study group and the other was a group of older men who are on a variety of spiritual paths including Buddhist, pagan, Druid and Native American as well as Christian.

Not surprisingly some in each group voiced a personal distaste for the word. It is true that it has accumulated significant “baggage” over millennia of usage. One of the objections was that it implied self-righteousness or “holier than thou” connotations for the hearer. In recent years it has entered the vernacular of some parts of our subculture equating with the terms “excellent” or “awesome” if my personal interpretation is correct.

In the Psalm appointed for this Sunday we proclaim that the Lord shall judge the world in righteousness, but over the millennia since that concept was first enunciated by the psalmist, just what meaning can we attribute to the term?

I am reminded of an idea that springs from Jewish Talmudic tradition that at any given moment in time there are exactly twelve truly righteous individuals operating in the world. Presumably this distinction passes from individual to individual from moment to moment and is defined by purity of selfless intent and action. So, I am left to ponder, “when is it my turn?” and hope that at any given moment my own spiritual evolution is at a point where I can act selflessly and righteously when the opportunity presents itself.

So, I am not ready to abandon the term to the diminished meaning that it has acquired in our culture or to preclude the possibility that in a rare moment, only through the grace of God, I might be one of “the twelve”.

When will it be your turn?