The sacraments are doorways through which God comes to us and the liturgy is the work of the people of God for the benefit of the world. In Rites of Justice: The Sacraments and Liturgy as Ethical Imperatives prolific Catholic writer Megan McKenna reframes our traditional understanding of the rituals of the church. She writes about Baptism, Confirmation (truth-telling), the Eucharist (solidarity), Reconciliation (nonviolence), Annointing and Pastoral Care of the Sick (compassion), Marriage (friendship and faithfulness), and Orders for the Sacrament of Foot Washing (obedience). If any other author were covering these run-of-the-mill subjects they might seem less than exciting. Megan McKenna spices them up with stories from all the world's religions and quotes from Rabindranath Tagore, Daniel Berrigan, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Simone Weil, and others.
The sacraments and the liturgy are rites of justice, and both are linked to the ethic of Jesus that "gives more, lets go more, loves more, dies more, and empowers more, restoring and repairing relationships and the world." McKenna challenges the Christian church to be God's vehicle of justice on earth. Iindividual believers might join in the vocation of Etty Hillesum: "There is no poem in me, just a little piece of God that might grow into poetry."