Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Ezek 33.7-9;  
Rom 13.8-10;  
Mt 18.15-20

THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: HOW DO WE CONFRONT ONE ANOTHER WITHOUT VIOLATING JESUS’ COMMANDMENT OF LOVE?

There is an adage that says “When you throw a stone into the sea you do not have an idea of how deep it has gone”. This is an expression that comes to the fore in today’s readings.

In today’s first reading, Ezekiel was sent to be a watchman over the people of Israel. He is to be a Sentinel or what we might call ‘guardian’ for God’s children. It means he has to preach to himself before preaching to others. He must be a man without deceit or equivocation. In other words, he is to be a moral standard for God’s elect. This of course comes with discipline and determination because it is indeed a difficult task in a society that does not want to accept truth as its guide.
In today’s Gospel passage, Our Lord commends the practice of ‘fraternal correction’: “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him.”  Telling other people their sins and misdemeanors. First, confronting them face to face, then in the presence of two or three witnesses, and finally, if the miscreants persist, in the presence of the whole community.  If this has no effect, “let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector”.  That is to say, expulsion from the family circle.

Some people will gratefully accept a well-intentioned correction from a member of their immediate family, or perhaps from a close friend while others react to fraternal correction because it touches a sensitive spot of their lives. I think it rankles more with us today than with our forebears especially when it comes to morality.
I have personally experienced correction from people who live or work with me that was truly helpful, changed my perspective, improved my relationship, or prompted me to grow in positive ways and I have also had times where someone has hurt me deeply. How willing am I to tell someone they have hurt me without making it personal? how do I understand, forgive, love, and wish the best for someone, while keeping myself from being hurt or victimized by them again? When offering correction to others, in what ways do I act out of my insecurities, past wounds, or desire for control? Are there people in my life who don’t have the courage or personal resources to tell me that I have hurt them, and if so, how do I feed that reluctance with my attitude toward them? How do I manage being corrected in the latter case without violating Jesus’ commands on love?

“Well, the answer from Jesus is simply to love,” You do these things because of love. Love that does no evil or harm to another is a difficult balancing act.
When Our Lord commanded His disciples to admonish sinners and correct the wayward, He knew what disasters would occur if human judgement were the only guide.  He knew that the natural law of right and wrong engraved on every rational soul was a sitting target for distortion.  And so He established the Church and made it infallible. Only an infallible Church would have the necessary moral authority to correct a wayward conscience.  He knew that we would accept the teachings of His Church only if we believed that this Church spoke with His own voice and personal authority. Into the body of the Church Christ breathed His voice at its foundation, just as He breathes His law into each soul at the moment of its creation.  It is the interaction between these two sources of truth which is so vital for us that we can get it right.

My prayer this week is to examine myself on how I can improve while praying for wisdom in my most difficult interactions. As I said, it’s not easy! But I trust that over time, and probably with a lot of trial and error, Christ will light my path and instruct me in the ways of divine love. I pray the same for you, too! It’s the only way to live in peace and witness to the reign of God in our midst

Fr Joseph Osho