Sunday, September 6

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we celebrate the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Word of God reminds us that Christian faith is never merely a private relationship between ourselves and God. We belong to one another, and because we belong to one another, we bear a responsibility for the spiritual and material well-being of our brothers and sisters.

In the first reading, the Lord appoints the prophet Ezekiel as a watchman for the house of Israel. He cannot simply remain silent when another person is traveling down a dangerous path. This responsibility continues in the Gospel, where Jesus teaches His disciples how to respond when one member of the community sins against another. His first instruction is remarkably simple: go to the person privately and seek reconciliation. Only when that fails are others to become involved. Christ’s purpose is not humiliation or punishment, but the restoration of a brother or sister and the healing of the community.

St. Paul gives us the principle underlying everything else: “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another.” All of God’s commandments ultimately lead us toward love–love of God expressed in genuine concern for our neighbor. Christian love is not simply affection or pleasant feelings. Sometime love required patience; sometimes forgiveness; sometimes an uncomfortable conversation; and sometimes the courage to tell another person the truth. Yet whatever we do must always seek the good of the other.

This message takes an additional significance as our nation observes Labor day. We do not journey toward heaven alone. We work together, pray together, correct one another with charity, forgive one another, and carry one another’s burdens: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

As we observe Labor day, may God bless all who labor, grant meaningful work to those seeking employment, protect those whose work is difficult or dangerous, give justice to those who are treated unfairly, and grant all of us the grace to recognize Christ in the people with whom–and for whom–we work.