A Cycle – 23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 23

Mt. 18:15-20

At various times in our lives, each of us has been corrected by someone in a relationship with us.  It may have been a parent, a teacher, a boss, a close friend, a coach, or a co-worker.  Correcting someone, even those related to you, is an unpleasant task.  Unfortunately, what needs correction is usually something that should not be ignored regardless of the relationship.  Ignoring dishonesty, immoral or damaging behavior must be corrected immediately. If not the family or organization will eventually suffer negative consequences.    

However, we often hesitate to correct anyone because of the damage that can be done to the relationship.  We hesitate to speak the truth to them because we do not what to “hurt” their feelings or because they will not accept the criticism.  The closer the individual is to us the harder it is to speak the truth to them.  Working relationships are easier because for the organization to be successful the boss must ensure their subordinates adhere to the procedures established.  There is no moral code unless there is immoral behavior.

This is why we can witness teachers, coaches, supervisors, officials, and judges correcting others on a regular basis. Their sole focus is on achieving the best outcome.  Things must be done by following rigid standards for excellence.     

But this gospel reading today is not about a process. It is about what God expects of us as disciples worthy of the gift of Jesus Christ.  God expects something of us we do not believe is our responsibility.  We, as followers, are expected to be vocal in helping others find their way into the heart of God.  We are never to compromise when it comes to life choices and moral decisions professed by others.  We wrongly believe that task is not ours but is the sole responsibility of the Church.  We accept the responsibility to raise our children in the faith but at some point, we surrender that responsibility to the church.  We have failed to grasp the fact how each of us and all of us collectively are the church.  We failed to understand how we have been given the task of reconciliation (2Cor.5:18).

It is interesting how easily we can judge one another’s “worthiness” by observing their outward actions.  We can be critical of others without any basis for our judgments other than what we believe is proper behavior. Does it please God more if we kneel after receiving the Eucharist or if we stand in awe giving God praise. Is God more pleased with individuals who kneel before the minister distributing communion or with those who bow acknowledging Christ is King before receiving Him.  Can we judge the condition of anyone’s holiness by observing them at mass? Are our own hearts engaged before we take Jesus into ourselves?

The key to worship is to yield to God and open ourselves up to His presence. Where our hearts are when we are worshiping together is not something we can determine by outward appearances.  If we do anything out of reverence it should always be with our hearts engaged and not because it looks more reverent than another way.  If we are distracted during mass by the action of others, then we are not focused on God.

We need to get back to the basics of what we are doing during mass.  One thing we are doing is giving thanks to God for the gift of Jesus Christ. But there is another aspect of what is happening when we come into the house of God.  We are coming together as a community of faith to be energized to go out into the world and live the gospel. 

We are called to be witnesses of God’s grace and speak the truth in love.  Today’s world is full of lies and distortions about what it means to be a Christian.  Sin abounds and it is destroying and distorting the gospel message.  In this moment of time, we have accepted as normal what has been abnormal for generations.  Lie after lie has been given to us and we have allowed those lies to become a truth that has become normal behavior.  We have been told; you do not have to belong to an organized religion to be spiritual.  Why is it a lie? Because we need the church to speak the truth about what it takes to be more than just a believe in God. We grow spiritual as Paul says, from glory to glory as we come before Christ as the body of Christ. 

It is not a baby it is a mass of tissue; a fetus is another one of those lies and it has permeated our society.  Many states yielded to that lie and have enacted laws that allow abortion up to the moment of birth.  Is human life insignificant allowing us to ignore the reality of the miracle of human growth in the womb?  Do we ignore the scriptures which tells us God knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb (Ps.139:13).  Every life if precious to God as He created each of us with a plan and purpose for our lives (Ps.139:19). 

Lie after lie tells us to seek pleasure and live life to the fullest.  Who is there to counter act all these lies?  It is up to us. You and I, the church.  It seems the institutions we depended upon to covey the acceptable norms for behavior have failed us and we need to heed todays Old Testament reading for we are the watchmen.   

We the body of Christ, the church is left with the task to combat the lies of the one who seeks to destroy.  We are the watchmen.  Every one of us who call ourselves a Catholic Christians must become active in combatting the lies of society and use every tool we have – our voices, our money, our votes, and our prayers – to fight against the lies. 

We cannot be just practicing Catholics; we must be disciples carrying on the ministry of Jesus Christ to proclaim the good news.  Woe to us if we fail to embrace the mission given to us by Christ.