Homilies

23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: RULE ON COMMUNITY LIVING

THE READINGS TODAY bring a clear message that we have a responsibility towards the salvation of others within the community. Let us try to examine the emphases of the readings and try to reflect on them:

In the First Reading, we heard of the mission of Ezekiel to be a “watchman for the house of Israel." The role of the watchman is not to become a busybody, but rather to live with a wide-eyed awareness to what is good and right and life-giving. Watchmen, because they have a sense of what is good, also are able to sense danger. Watchmen would sense what is dangerous for the individual and for the community. Watchmen can then sound the alarm; they can sound the call to action, and the prophetic call to change. A world which emphasizes privacy and independence may not have any room for watchmen. Thus, to be a watchman may not be popular today. But let us remember that we are brothers and sisters to each other. As such, we must be responsible for each other, we must be keepers to each other. Our concern for each other would call us to be a watchman to the community where we belong. However, some world leaders found out that they could not afford to be independent. We have observed that some world leaders have bonded themselves to protect the world from danger, from terrorism. When they see an imminent danger, they would do something to prevent it from happening. They have become watchmen of the world.

In the Second Reading, St Paul exhorted the Romans to “owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another.” So, we do not only show our concern to the other, but we should also love the other. Love and concern are very much related. Only those people who love can show concern to the person. Loving does not only showing what could be considered “comfortable” by the person. If we truly love the person, we always tell what we want to say and to do, even if this appears a discomfort to the other. Even if it offers discomfort and pain to the other, we have to take note that “love does no evil to the neighbor.”

In the gospel, Jesus gives an exhortation on fraternal correction. He says that if a person sins against you, the next thing you should do is “to go and tell his fault between you and him alone.” This does not happen always though. When a person has done something wrong against us, we usually create a wall between him and us. We do not want to talk to that person. What we want is that this person instead should be the one to come, and say sorry to us. But what if the person does not know that he has already hurt you? What we should do? For Jesus, even if we are hurting, we should go to the person and tell him that he has done wrong to us. It may be difficult because it would mean getting rid of our pride.  The work of correcting our erring brothers or sisters is not easy. It gives us discomfort. It can be embarrassing. And it can be risky too because it might lose a long established friendship. Some people prefer silence, not to say any word to an erring brother, sister or friend, lest that he or she may be hurt. But there are times when failure to speak out is actually condoning an evil practice. And this does not help community life at all.

Again, all of us are responsible for the salvation of others. We cannot afford to think only of ourselves. We are all brothers and sisters and therefore must always show our concern and love for each other. We must remain a watchman for others, we must love others, and lastly, we must correct others when they have done wrong. This is difficult to do, but if we have the heart, that is, love and concern, for them, then we must do everything for them.
 

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