HOMILY SUNDAY 23 A 2017

The desire ‘to put others right’ is deeply ingrained in our human nature.   But this desire, this instinct, is something we often need to resist.  Our Lord in the Gospels spoke a clear word of warning about it:  ‘First take the beam out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye’.

But Scripture and the Church’s tradition also tell us that at times we have a duty to put others right – to correct others – to reprimand others.

In today’s First Reading, the Lord God gives the Prophet Ezekiel the task of warning the People:

‘When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name.  If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death’.

Again, in today’s Gospel, we have some important teaching from the early Christian community that was home to St Matthew:

‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him’.

Yet this confrontation must be done in the spirit of love – as St Paul proclaims in the today’s Second Reading:

‘Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour’.

But how are we to do this? – to make sure that love is present, when we put others right?  A clue is given us in the closing words of today’s Gospel:

Jesus says: ‘Where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them’.

Usually we hear these words as assuring us of the supportive, comforting presence of Jesus when Christians meet together.   But if a few Christians come together to sort out a problem, surely the promise of Jesus to be there in the midst of them still holds good?  The promise of his presence, his love, still hold good; but now it is a challenge to us, rather than comfort and consolation. In these circumstances, if we are aware of Jesus’ promise to be with us as we sort out our problems, it will be likely to make us really watchful of our motives, watchful of our language.  Or if I am the one being corrected, to know that Jesus is there with me, will help me to be more ready to accept an unwelcome word with a good grace.

By way of conclusion, it is perhaps worth mentioning that in the Church’s Canon Law, we are reminded that the Clergy are not exempt from being put right by the laity:

‘Christ’s faithful have the right, indeed at times the duty, to manifest to the Saacred Pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church. They have the right also to make their views know to others of Christ’s faithful; but in doing so’

and here we have a word of warning that is relevant to all of us in all circumstances –

‘but in doing so, they must always …. take into account both the common good and the dignity of individuals’.

(CCC212, 3)

As we reflect during this week on today’s Readings, perhaps the wise words in the Letter of St James set us on the best path:

‘Let every man be quick to hear and slow to speak.’