Sept. 10, 2017: 23rd Sunday A
Sept. 10, 2017: 23rd Sunday A
You are all familiar with the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.” As Florida government officials took to the airwaves the past few days to urge people in the pathway of Hurricane Irma to evacuate, TV news reporters were interviewing people who were defying the order and opting to ride out the storm. Some folks were enjoying a day on the beach just hours before the arrival of Category 4 hurricane to the dismay of TV viewers. The Florida Governor could not be more blunt, “I cannot stress this enough, LEAVE! Do not ignore evacuation orders. You can rebuild your home...but you cannot recreate your family...we can’t save you once the storm hits.” Would any of us make the same decision to defy common sense because we are over-confident and self-sufficient?
Just as it doesn’t make sense to disregard warnings about life threatening hurricanes, it doesn’t make sense to disregard warnings that our loved ones and friends give us about our habits, the way we live our lives, or relationships that we cling to that ultimately harm us. There is a saying, "Don't keep the friend who tells you what you want to hear, but keep the friend who tells you what you need to hear." How would we be still alive spiritually and emotionally if we did not have people who love us enough to tell us the truth and respect us enough to know that we can handle it?
If we love the person enough, we have to tell them the hard truth about sin and its effects. Our Lord reminds us of this in the First Reading. God reminded Ezekiel of his obligation as a prophet to call the people of Jerusalem to repent, otherwise the city would be destroyed and the people would die. If Ezekiel did not carry out this duty because of his fear, the people would still die, but Ezekiel was going to be responsible for their death. However, if Ezekiel called people to conversion, and they refused to repent and they died, his effort to help his people would have saved Ezekiel.
Can we recall those occasions when we knew a person was doing something wrong but we didn’t say anything because we were afraid or we didn’t want to hurt their feelings? Can we also recall those moments when someone took courageous steps to point out to us what we were doing wrong, but out of our pride and love of the sin we ignored their advice? We understand God as God of love. But He is also the God of truth and the God of justice. Jesus personified God’s love but he also said, ‘I am the truth.’ Truth and justice are not opposed to love; rather, they are part of love.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs us how to mend broken or injured relationships, especially when someone sins against us. He asks us to bring our issues directly to the person who harmed us in hopes that the person amends his ways. Feelings of personal injury should be brought out into the open and clearly stated. Instead of the open dialogue Jesus wants us to have with the person who injured us, often we make the mistake of bringing our complaint to someone other than the person who injured us. Worse, we tell many others about the injury, in person or on social media, harming his reputation. If we cannot settle it between ourselves, we should try to consult with a more experienced person, even consulting the Church or seeking the advice of priests or religious. What Jesus desires is reconciliation rather than holding grudges, because brooding in resentment separates us from Our Lord. In the end, if the person remains unchanged, do not lose hope. Pray for him for a change of heart. He is our brother in Christ.
When we are offended, are we willing to put aside our own grievance and injury in order to help our brother or sister’s wound? Our Lord desires to set us free from resentment, ill-will, and an unwillingness to forgive. A sobering thought is that at times we offend others, that we misjudge others, and that we take advantage of others. If we can come to recognize our own brokenness and lack of love toward others, then we will find it much easier to deal with the brokenness and lack of love in others. We are called to accept correction with patience, and to speak God’s truth to others in charity and love. Trust that the love of Christ both purifies and sets us free to do good to all - even those who cause us grief. We have the opportunity today to pray for those who cause us offense.
