Word to the Wise
Sunday, September 10, 2023 - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Ezek 33:7-9; Rom 13:8-10; Matt 18:15-20]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, "O wicked one, you shall surely die," and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself. [Ezekiel] Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.....Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. [Romans] "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you,......If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or tax collector." [Matthew]
In the Book of Genesis, when God confronts Cain with the "absence" of his brother, Abel, Cain responds with a line that has become almost a byword in human relations: "Am I my brother's keeper?" The response to that question from Ezekiel, Paul and Jesus, in today's scripture, is: YES! Ezekiel is characteristically blunt. If we don't speak out against wrongful or destructive conduct on the part of a neighbor, WE will be held responsible in addition to him for the dire consequences of his conduct. St. Paul puts the matter in the context of LOVE of neighbor. Jesus offers a "process" for resolving conflict, which many of us would call an "intervention."
Does "love of neighbor" mean we "turn a blind eye" to conduct and decisions that we know will prove harmful to him or her and to others? Are we prone to say, "There, but for the grace of God, go I" Or do we find ourselves in the position of asking, "If only I had said something to him/her, such and such would not have happened?" It does not seem to me that Jesus offers that "process" as a suggestion, but rather as a directive!
There are many resources available to help us, but the obligation remains the same. Wisdom is important in weighing the significance of the conduct in question lest we do more harm than good in intervening. Cain's question is an ancient one. But the response from God in Genesis/Ezekiel, Jesus in Matthew, and Paul in Romans today is "YES." AMEN