In the Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church, the readings for this Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, (the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time), especially the 1st Reading (Ezekial 33:7-9) and the Gospel (Matthew 18:15-20), talk about correcting others. For some people, this is the kind of Scripture they love because it gives them justification to point out the faults of others and seems to give free reign to correct them. (And oh, how we like to point out the faults of others!) We need to be careful with this though, because, while it is true that we have a responsibility to warn and dissuade the wicked from their ways, otherwise God “will hold you responsible for his death” (Ezek 33:8), there is a way to go about this.

Jesus gives us a strategy, a progression of steps. We should first talk to the other privately, alone so as not to cause public embarrassment. (Some people may be disappointed with this because they relish the public humiliation of others, especially those they don’t like or whom they have a grudge against. Okaaayyy, but if that doesn’t work, then can I come out with all guns blasting, right? Well, listen to what Jesus says next.) If that doesn’t work, “take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses'” (Matt 18:16). This doesn’t mean bringing along people as ammunition to bolster your side, but about letting others hear the evidence openly. And if that doesn’t work, bring the issue to the church (the community), and if that is unsuccessful, “then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector” (v.17). (Oh boy, now we’re finally getting to the part some people like — ostracizing, embarrassing.) Before we go cutting people off or down, remember how Jesus treated gentiles and tax collectors — always with love. For the community Matthew was writing for nearly 2,000 years ago (and to us today), the gentile and tax collector, instead of being set aside for ridicule and discrimination, were special objects of the community’s relentless care.

St. Paul also writes about love in this Sunday’s 2nd Reading (Romans 13:8-10). He states: “The commandments, (then he lists a few of the 10 commandments), and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

The “winning over” of brother or sister that Jesus hopes for us when “your brother (or sister) sins against you,” does not mean being proven right (as much as we love that); it’s about coming to an understanding — understanding that leads to reconciliation.

Backing up a little — last week we celebrated Labor Day Weekend. In our current economic climate those who are employed — maybe for the first time in a long time — actually realize how grateful they are to have a job. Others, who are unemployed or under-employed, spent the holiday weekend hoping for work that will pay a living wage so they can provide the necessities of life for themselves and/or their families.

Years ago, back when I was married and my kids were little, I was asked by my wife how I was able to go to work every day, especially when the job I had at the time was not in the field I had gone to undergraduate and graduate school for. I remember thinking — and replying — that there is something so satisfying about being able to provide for your family. Whatever work we do (scrubbing floors, teaching, administering, changing diapers, etc., even making the proverbial “widget”), when done with the kind of love St. Paul wrote about in Romans 13:8-10, we participate in God’s loving action in our world. Please don’t think I’m saying that we should just be content with, and not try to improve, our work “lot in life,” if that work is something that underutilizes your talents and gifts. What I am saying is that even if you feel stuck or trapped by circumstances not of your own doing, (even if your work seems trivial and a waste of your time and talent) when we do it with love, and because of love, it is not meaningless.

Have a blessed weekend, and week.

(Those who are not familiar with my background, may be puzzled by my description of providing for my family, since it is unusual for a Roman Catholic priest to have had a wife and children. Long before I entered the seminary at age 49, I had been married and was blessed with three children. I am no longer married and my children are now adults. If you have questions about this, contact me at All Saints Catholic Parish.)