Homily Twenty-Third Sunday Year A
Homily for Twenty-Third Sunday Year A
First Reading: What is the main issue of the first
reading? We are called to be obedient to God in all things, even in regards to
one another. But this obedience is based on a relationship. God appointed the
prophet as a watchman for the community, a sentry, to stand guard and to warn
the community when an enemy was approaching.
The prophet was called to speak the word of God, no matter how hard or
unpleasant it was.
In this case, the attack was from within not from
outside. The enemy was within the community. The people had turned away from God, choosing
not to follow the way of the Lord. The prophet
was sent by God to expose their sin and to call them to repentance and
conversion. It wasn’t his role to force them to change but to point out their
sin. He was to act on the word of Go by responding to it in his own life and d
by speaking out. If the prophet failed
to do this, he would suffer the same consequences as the people: die in their
sins. If he did what God commanded, he would be spared because of his obedience
to God.
Obedience to God above all things, even rejection by
others, was the most important way of remaining in relationship with God.
Second Reading: To owe someone a debt is to have a responsibility
to that person, to incur an obligation. The second reading gives us the
motivation for responding to God’s word in obedience. It is love. Though the
word given to the prophet was a difficult word, he was to speak it, not in
condemnation nor judgement, but in love.
“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.” Because of Jesus’ love for us expressed by his death on the cross, we too are bound to express that same love for one another.
“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.” Because of Jesus’ love for us expressed by his death on the cross, we too are bound to express that same love for one another.
Gospel: The
Gospel reveals God’s word to us in dealing with people whose sinful ways are
destroying themselves and hurting others. What is the Lord saying
to us? He is dealing with a reality of
life. Human life lived in a family or community is not easy or perfect.
Conflicts and disagreements will arise. How should we deal with someone who has sinned
against us? The learned human way is revenge, retaliation, hate, and non-forgiveness. But, we know that this is not
the way of the Lord. The Lord’s word to us is, out of obedience and love, we
need to forgive and seek to be reconciled. Jesus adds another factor. We must forgive
from our heart.
If the other doesn’t want to be reconcile or to
forgive, then we are to seek help from others to try to become reconciled. If
still the person refuses, then we are to let that person be. We did all we
could. Like the prophet in the first reading, I am not responsible to change
the other but to do what God called me to do. If I don’t, then I allow the sin
of the other to lead me to sin or leave me in sin.
God is calling us to a new way of life as a missionary
disciple. Only because of my relationship with Jesus am I able to be obedient
in love. Our fallen human nature wants us to act in one way, but as sons and
daughters of God, we are called to act differently out of our spiritually,
redeemed nature.
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