I am in the Midst of Them

This is my bulletin article for the 23rd Sunday.

In our family, As us older ones grew older, we were often put in charge of the young ones. It might have been so mom or dad could go to the store, or to bring them to the park. But we were in charge of them and their well being. If they got into big trouble, they would have to answer to the consequences, but we would also have been admonished. “You should not have let this happen.” We would reply that we had no part in the young ones mischievousness. Mom and dad would reply that we were in charge of them, and should know better than them.

In a post-modern world where we believe so strongly in the individual and individual rights, it is hard to hear the words that we are responsible for one another. This is not simply a matter of providing canned food for the hungry, but the moral integrity and decency of each other as well. Jesus asks us to consider, in Matthew’s Gospel, if our brother or sister sins, we should take them aside and point out their fault to them. Then we bring in witnesses, and even the Church.

Matthew is attempting to keep Christians out of the courts, but most importantly to engage one another in a pattern of correction based in love and charity. St. Paul tells his followers, in another letter, to admonish each other in charity. The sign of a true Christian community is one where love can be demonstrated even in conflicts and disagreements. A sign of Holiness is to seek the truth and to teach and reprove our community with that truth we have received.

We are a church who is an assembly of people gathered to do the work of God. This work brings us together around the table of the Lord and sends us out to renew the face of the earth. The tasks and challenges that face us in the world are awesome, and the obstacles are formidable. The only way we can succeed is by staying together, with Jesus in our midst.

The mission and ministry of Jesus is one of making peace and reconciliation a practical reality. Forgiveness is not forgetting. To forgive, to challenge the brokenness and damage to human dignity, is the beginning of healing and wholeness of the human person. Just as Jesus lifted people up and restored them to their origins, our faith communities must do the same.

More so, when we discover the inadequacies and the failures to live up to the holiness of God, we ought to be courageous in speaking the truth. St James offers us the example of passing by a person in need. James says it is not enough to simply say ‘stay warm and well fed.’ When we discover Sin and confusion, we take responsibility to speak about the virtues we have received, and seek to set things right. Jesus tells us today that we are responsible.