FROM THE PULPIT: Doing justice for widows and orphans today

One of my favorite Bible verses is from the prophet Micah, a one-line summary of righteous living: "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8, NIV). The three parts of that imperative are linked. The first part is to seek justice, to right wrongs, and to carry out the demands of the law. But the second imperative cautions that the law is to be applied mercifully, not harshly. Above all, we are to remember that we also are sinners, imperfect people who make mistakes. Humility is always in order. None of us can stand up to the scrutiny of God's justice, and all of us need mercy.

It is hard to find a real definition of justice in the Bible. The closest verses command consideration for widows and orphans: "You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry" (Exodus 20:22-23 NRSV). In Biblical times, widows and their children were among the most vulnerable members of society. There weren't a lot of respectable jobs for single mothers! The Bible tells stories of how poor women managed. The famous story of Ruth and Naomi tells of two widows, a younger and an older, making their way with no male income. Ruth, the younger one, promises to care for her elderly mother-in-law, and the two come up with a clever scheme to get a distant relative to marry Ruth. Marriage was an option for a young widow, while older widows relied on family to care for them. A woman without supportive family was in difficult straits. She had to rely on neighbors who would take pity on her or generous landlords who would let her gather left-overs from the harvest.

Widows and their children are still among the most vulnerable members of society in many parts of the world. In some places, widows lose all rights to their husband's land after his death, even when the widow is the principal farmer on the land herself. Without land to farm rural widows have few options. They may even be blamed for their husband's death, a charge used as an excuse to deprive widows of their marital property. A British human rights lawyer, Margaret Owen, started an international widows' organization, Widows for Peace Through Democracy, to advocate for legal changes so that widows at least cannot be deprived of their own marital assets.

Help for widows and orphans in our country often comes through our governmental social safety net. The Social Security system was set up during the Great Depression to help impoverished and desperate widows and other elderly people. Ida May Fuller was the first recipient, a retired legal secretary in Vermont. She received her first monthly check on January 31, 1940, in the amount of $22.54! Today, many elderly women rely on Social Security and Medicare to keep them from abject poverty. Younger widows with small children also get support from Social Security so that there is some financial cushion after their husband's untimely death.

Social Security benefits extend to widowers, too. In a case early in her career, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg represented a young widower named Stephen Wiesenfeld whose wife had died giving birth to their son. At that time, only women could qualify for Social Security widows' benefits. Ginsberg argued successfully before the Supreme Court that the exclusion of widowers was unfair. The case shows how the principle of gender equality benefits men as well as women.

To do justice for widows and orphans today, we can support the important governmental programs that provide them with income and some certainty in the face of loss. We can make sure to include widows and widowers in our community organizations, social circles, and prayers. Inclusive communities that remember those with special circumstances will build the just, merciful society that the Bible calls us to.

The Rev. Susan H. Lee, Ph.D., is rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Fall River.