XXIII Sunday in OT:[A]: Ez 33: 7-9; Rom 13: 8-10; Mt 18: 15-20

XXIII Sunday in OT:[A]: Ez 33: 7-9; Rom 13: 8-10; Mt 18: 15-20

Introduction: In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that true Christian charity obliges a Christian not only to assist his neighbors in their temporal and spiritual needs with material help and prayer, but also with correction and counsel for an erring brother or sister who has injured if his or her sins are public. If the erring one refuses a one-on-one loving correction by the offended party, then the Christian is to try to involve more people: first, "one or two others,” and eventually "the Church." Finally, Jesus mentions the efficacy of community prayer in solving such problems, for Christ is present in the praying Christian community. 

The danger we come across is that we never realize that there is a log in our eyes. We always go to take out the beam from other’s eyes. That’s not helping. That’s not becoming, rather discouraging or distracting.  "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye”. (Mathew 7:5)

A brief story from the book titled: “The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes” (p. 28), edited by Clifton Fadiman goes thus. A Roman nobleman died, leaving enormous debts that he had successfully concealed during his lifetime. When the estate was put up for auction, Caesar Augustus instructed his agent to buy the man’s pillow. When some expressed surprise at the order, he explained: “That pillow must be particularly conducive to sleep, if its late owner, in spite of all his debts, could sleep on it”. Debt creates pressure and no one likes pressure. However, there is one debt that we will always owe and never be able to pay off fully: “The debt of love to one another.”  In today’s second reading, St. Paul points out that the love we should have for one another should be our only reason for admonishing the sinner.  Love seeks the good of the one who is loved. Therefore, we should admonish one another so that we all may repent and grow in holiness.

Joke:  There was an 85year old lady who found her husband in bed with another woman.  She was so enraged that she dragged him to the balcony of their Miami high-rise and pushed him off, and he fell to his death.  She was arrested, of course, and when she appeared before the judge he asked if she had anything to say in her own defense.  “Well, your honor,” she said, “I figured if he were able to be unfaithful to his wife at the age of 92, he surely would be able to fly.” [Readers Digest, Laughter, the Best Medicine, pg.365)

Practical Applications: 1) Be welcoming to different perspectives. Listening to somebody’s ideas may broaden our narrow mind. May be we will even change our stand point. Correcting others is easy, but being corrected is hardly acceptable. Be instructors is easy, but being instructed is difficult to accept. It is human nature. Jesus wants us to be receptive, to be listeners, to be divine.

2) We are our brother’s/sister’s keeper. Modern believers tend to think that they have no right to intervene in the private lives of their fellow believers. While others evade the issue saying, “As a sinner, I don’t have the moral courage or the right to correct anyone.” But Jesus emphatically affirms that we are our brothers' keepers, and we have the serious obligation to correct others. We have our culture working against us.  Christianity has often had to be counter-cultural.

3) Pray for the conversion of sinners or evil doers: Saint Monica, a patron saint for mothers and wives, prayed for Augustine’s conversion, to be devoid of sinful life.  Result is Saint Augustine. We all have at least a low cost, low energy method of correction, prayer.

Twenty Third Sunday in OT: Introduction

Message: May our hearts not be hardened, but may we turn from our sin.  In our love for one another, we may be called to confront our brother and sister for the wrong they may be doing.

Saints and Events I this week:  8 – Eighth – Monday – The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; 9 – Ninth – Tuesday – Saint Peter Claver, priest (USA); 12 – Twelfth – Friday – The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary; 13 – Thirteenth –Saturday – Saint John Chrysostom, bishop, doctor of the Church; 14 – Fourteenth – Sunday – Exaltation of the Cross;