In the Midst of Them

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September 7, 2008

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

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 man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he (the wicked man) shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. Ezekiel 33:7-8

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. Matthew 18:19-20

Piety

 

Let us then rise at length, since the Scripture arouseth us, saying: "It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom 13:11); and having opened our eyes to the deifying light, let us hear with awestruck ears what the divine voice, crying out daily, doth admonish us, saying: "Today, if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts" (Ps 94[95]:8). And again: "He that hath ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" (Rev 2:7). And what doth He say? -- "Come, children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Ps 33[34]:12). "Run whilst you have the light of life, that the darkness of death overtake you not" (Jn 12:35). (From Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue)

Study
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"I am not my brother's keeper." I have said that too often and it has never sat well on my heart. We are part of each other when we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I cannot change another person. We can lead a horse to the water, but we cannot make it drink. Our second reading from Paul to the Romans 13:8-10 says it another way. Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Love does not leave another high and dry. Love gets us involved in each other's problems. Love is the fulfillment of the law. It searches out what is best for family and friends. When one is hurting themselves, love pushes us to say something.

Our Gospel sets out some rules about how to do this. We go to the person alone and correct them privately so that they do not feel embarrassed. Love is gentle, love is kind, love does not take umbrage at the wrong another does us. But love shares the pain what another is doing causes us so that a person is invited to do what is right by
seeing that we are being hurt by the wrong another is doing. A person is invited to change not because it is simply the right thing to do but rather because the pain we are feeling is real to them. The old excuse that "I am not hurting anyone" goes out the window. Our very pain is sufficient motive to change. Love is truly a mutual involvement in the lives of each other. "No man is an island." What each of us does impacts on all.

The Gospel goes on to say how far we should go in trying to help another to change. We should try to get two or three others that the person might listen to. Then, if we are not listened to, we should involve the Church. It goes without saying that we are doing this for members of our Church. They are not strangers in our lives. They are
part of the fabric of our existence and part of the prayer of the community once the community is involved in trying to help another to change.

Action

 

Piety, Study and action come together when we realize we are important to each other. We make the effort to study the problem so that we do not alienate the one we are trying to help. An intervention needs all of the above. We need to practice what we are going to say. We need   to make the place we would send another less threatening. The truth that the person is loved by those doing the intervention needs to be obvious. The golden rule about all of this is love. Christ says it powerfully in the
gospel that whenever two or three gather in his name his there in the midst of us.  Not to do anything is unacceptable because then we would be guilty of the spiritual death of another All of this is summed up in the saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Christ entrusts to us the message of reconciliation.