Walking with Jesus: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20

What does it mean to be a follower of Christ today? What does it mean to be a prophet today? It would seem that these two questions are redundant, but most tend to view them as different. To be a follower of Christ today, many would say it means going to church, keeping the commandments and being a person of care, forgiveness, love and mercy. This is true. To be prophet today, most would say it requires speaking out when necessary, when there is injustice or deliberate hurting of the needy. This is true too. But unfortunately, most people feel it is the job of someone else to be a prophet. Why should I speak out? Who am I? I don’t have the authority to judge people who are acting out in a hurtful way.

Yet what is the greatest command of Jesus? Love. Love everyone, when it's convenient and even when it's inconvenient. So what does a follower of Jesus need to do today? Love. And what does it mean to be a prophet today? It just boils down to how we love our neighbor. It’s all about Jesus answering the question of a brilliant scribe, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replies, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:28-31]  We can spend our lifetimes trying to do these things and still not reach our goal; it has to be our life’s greatest continual activity. Each of our readings today looks at loving our neighbor in different ways.

God tells Ezekiel to continue warning the people of Jerusalem about their sins. His assignment from God is nearing an end. In 14 verses, Jerusalem has fallen. Still, Ezekiel is reminded of his great responsibility to serve as a “watchman” over the people. This is a perfect description of a prophet’s role: A watchman in a tower has a commanding view of any approaching danger. Here Ezekiel is talking about spiritual danger — what will happen if the people continue to remain unfaithful to their covenant with God? Ezekiel is sounding the alarm that the people still have time to change their ways. Is it possible? No ... the people will not turn away from their idolatry. What is an idol in my life? What is more important to me than God and His commandments? Could it be my pride … possessions … pleasure … prestige? Being a prophet is a difficult task. We are not the ones shouting, “Repent!” Nor are we to nag. We are called to understand and share that having God’s presence within prompts us to live differently: being loved with the continuous assignment to love.

Paul tells the Romans, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” [Romans 13:8] Paul has been reviewing the laws given by Moses to the people of Israel. All of these Mosaic laws are fulfilled by obeying a simple command to love one’s neighbor. Earlier he had urged the Romans to avoid repaying evil with evil, but instead to live in peace and “... do not be conquered by evil but conquer will with good.” [Romans 12:21]

Jesus ties it all together in the Gospel: Matthew’s church is dealing with challenges. People are sinning radically against Jesus’ command to love your neighbor. If they don’t address the issues, there will be serious damage done within the community. If we are meant to love, we must love. When one strays, we must do everything possible by holding each other accountable. We see this in Jesus’ parable of the good shepherd who leaves His 99 sheep alone in order to seek out the one who has strayed. It is one of the easiest and constant ploys of Satan to forget the most important thing: fidelity to my Christian mission of being another Christ. How does this person need me today? Anyone who has ever tried a spiritual intervention like Jesus did today knows that both sides feel rejected, hurt, not understood. It’s always uncomfortable to tell someone they’ve done something hurtful to you as well as harmful to themselves. No one ever wants to hear they’re in the wrong. What to do? If we need to say tough things to another it has to be because we love them and only want the best for them. The way we bring it up … the tone we express ... the words we choose must be such that the receiver will know that it’s coming from love. It’s about sin … the opposite of love … so I must love in responding to sin. What does God want me to do? What is my motive for opening the conversation? Will speaking up worsen the situation? Proceed carefully with prayer and love.

So I reflect on:

• I think of situations when I have said nothing about wrongs that I’ve endured. Was love accomplished by not setting the wrong right?
• How do I deal with people who offend me? How do I react when I’m the offending party?
• How many ways have I loved those around me today? Have I avoided loving? Why?
• How do I know when to speak and when to be silent? Would Jesus agree with my response?
  

Sacred Space 2020 states:

“The fourth discourse of Matthew’s Gospel is addressed to the leading disciples. It gives the rules for the Christian community. It emphasizes the role of dialogue, which is another way of saying that we should at all times seek consensus. It accepts that this is not always possible, and the consequences are clear.

“To what extent do I seek consensus? And to what extent do I try to prevail with my own will, plan, or opinion?