Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 127
Reading 1
Thus
says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die, "
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.
Responsorial Psalm
R.
(8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading 2
Brothers
and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, "
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus
said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that 'every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Jesus is with us. Jesus said that God was the God of the living and not the dead. In other words, those who accept Him and are born again, will be recognized by God. Those who reject God or the divinity of Jesus Christ will not even be recognized. Being the God of the living, means that He dwells within us. His presence can be felt if we take the time to search for it.
“ Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened.”
Seeking means pursuing wisdom, prayer, and worship. Each of these are of equal importance and cannot be ignored. If we choose to ignore even one of these, then our relationship with God will be compromised. Our relationship with God is much like any other relationship we enter it: How deep that relationship is and how impactful it is on our lives is in direct correlation we approach it and engage God.
Being created out of love, to love, and to be loved sets the initial criteria for our relationship. Love must be at its foundation; our actions based on its presence. Not only does this apply to our relationship with Him, but to all those whom we interact with. There cannot be any conflict or ill-will. What we have been given by God (life here on this earth and eternal life in Heaven), was given to us freely and we merely have to react to it. The reaction to love should always be love and, in this situation, it still remains the answer.
Part of being loved and loving, means that we must have concern for our fellow human beings. This can come in both physical, mental, and spiritual interactions. As Christians, we can already have a greater understanding of the world around us and the proper way to interact with other people. Having love in all interactions, our concern for others should take on a priority as much as the way we look out for our own welfare. Jesus spoke of this in a parable:
“That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;t the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
These preparations come in the form of our personal conduct. There can be no divisions amongst those who claim to be Christian, only healing and acceptance. Those who enrage us or promote discord, should be ignored. Part of this has to do with the ministry of Jesus Christ (who we model our lives afterwards). His mission is one of love and he promoted it that way.
There is no mistake when God indicated to Ezekiel that he was a “watchman,” keeping an eye on the community if they strayed from what God wanted for them. This commissioning is also directed to us through Jesus Christ: if we notice a brother sin or, in some way or another, hurt himself and other people, it is our duty to correct. The correction comes from the heart and with love, not with the intent to do another harm. This is why Jesus explains the process in which to correct a person’s actions without embarrassing them or causing disruption in the community. The method is personal and with love; a corrective guidance to guide the person back to good standing and away from sin. If there is resistance, then the process of possible redemption because a little more intense, each step inviting more friends and people into the process until, if there is no positive conclusion, the whole Living Body gets involved.
There is an indication that there is understanding and a desire to bring the person back into the fold without harming anyone. The most extreme measures are taken only when the actions of the sinner are not abandoned but are embraced instead. We, as members of that Living Body, are participators in that process because it is something that we can use in our relationships, promoting love, healing, and correction. Each of us become a watchman of sorts, looking out for our brothers and sisters; all the while they look out for us. Sin not only hurts the sinner, but it effects everyone the sinner interacts with, spreading like a cancer sometimes throughout the whole community.
Right conduct and right action starts with each of us individually and then spreads outward, much like the actions of the sinner but in an obviously more positive way. We should always want to follow the model of healing and forgiveness presented by Jesus Christ. Coming from Him, could there really be anything better?
Jesus reminds His disciples that when two or three are gathered in His name, He is in their midst. We read of this promise a lot throughout the Gospels. The fact that we are never alone. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and Jesus Christ walks beside us, while the Father watches over us. Even when we think we are alone, we are not: the Spirit dwelling within us moves us towards Jesus who then shows us the way to the Father. The cycle never stops. We are participators in this merely because of our birthright as Children of God. As a result, we are also members of the holy Mother Church, founded through Jesus Christ and established by the Apostle Peter here on this earth. There is a beautiful inclusivity that binds us all together. It is through a loving, tender relationship with God and with our fellow human beings that we stay in that fellowship and reap the rewards thereof.
Deacon Tom
