Paul's Reflections 23rd Sun ord time A

7th September, 2008      23rd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

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On the weekend as we celebrate and give thanks for the give of Fathers….   we celebrate the importance of family in our lives….  and acknowledge that we are also God’s children, with God, our heavenly Father…  who calls us to be united in love and care for one another…. and for all..

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In our second reading, Saint Paul says “love is the fulfilment of the law”    - that is a wonderful two sided saying…..     the fulfilment of the law is LOVE….  but also…. to truly love, is the fulfilment of the whole law of Moses and the prophets…..    this means that Christian love needs to be real love…  tough love…  brave love….  love that is strong enough to say sorry when we have caused hurt….   love ready to forgive when others seek our forgiveness…. love ready to affirm and encourage others….  and also, just as importantly, love brave enough to speak out when things aren’t right….  to warn people of any harmful things they are doing…. and to speak up when injustice or wrong is occurring…..    Love is NOT turning a blind eye to wrongdoing in the community….  

 

so, love is not to be equated with the word niceness…..   sometimes true love is about drawing a line and refusing to budge on it, out of real concern for truth and what is right in the circumstances…..   

 

The gospel this weekend is also very interesting….  it highlights how absolutely vital the community is in Christ’s vision…… there is no such thing as a solo Christian…..  we followers of Jesus always belong amidst a community of disciples…. and the community has an important role in ensuring that the members remain faithful to the message and command of Jesus… 

 

the gospel shows Jesus teaching us the way the Christian community is to deal with conflict….   this gospel way rejects gossip and badmouthing of others….  if I have a problem with another….    my first duty… go and talk to that person…   deal with them…..   tell THEM the issues, not the neighbour or the friend at the pub…. or the person down the street…..   deal with it, if at all possible, with the parties involved… and in a spirit of constructiveness… in order that the issue may be resolved……..  if that strategy fails…. then…  speak to interested parties…  wise parties…  the gospel says ‘community’  but this might mean a trusted family member, a close wise friend… a discrete church member…  again, not anyone and everyone…  but a party who might bring an objective, affirming and clear insight into the issue, again so that the issue might be dealt with properly ….  not to score points….   and finally,.. if that does not work….  bring it to the wider community for its arbitration…  its resolution……    and if that fails… then the solution the community comes to, will be affirmed by God., because it has tried to deal constructively, positively and lovingly with the difficult issues….   

 

This gospel is very timely, because this Monday night…  our young ones will be making their first reconciliation.  They have been learning that we all belong not only to our own families,… but we are one big family in the church…..    our actions….   affect not only ourselves but also the community…..   even if the community does not know the detail, if we make bad choices and hurt our relationship with other members, or with God…  we hurt not only ourselves and the people directly involved… but we hurt our friendship with God….  we injure our communion with the wider community of disciples in the church…. (even if our actions are not known to others…  it affects our harmony and unity within the family of God)…..  So…  reconciliation is a way of celebrating God’s love and forgiveness and experiencing our reconciliation and forgiveness with God and the church family…..   //    it is good for us to celebrate special sacraments that connect us to our membership to the wider community…..    for where two or more are gathered… there certainly... Jesus is present…… 

 

May God be with our young ones and their family as they prepare to celebrate God’s love for us, in the family of the church…  God who loves us when we do the right thing… and loves us and searches for us when we stray…  when we make mistakes…. and welcomes us back… 

 

let us ask God to give us the grace and the insight to love even more fully as Christ does….  to act with affirmation and encouragement…  to challenge with love and concern and gentleness….  but nevertheless to speak truthfully and constructively….     and to live as members of the family of God, to whom we all belong…

 

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