HOMILY OF SUNDAY IN THE 23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
Ezekiel 33:7-9, Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 18:15-20
THEME: BASIC INGREDIENTS OF LOVE
The basic ingredients of love as spelt out in today’s readings are correction and reconciliation.
If God is our father, we cannot but be brothers and sisters. Division in whatever guise is a sin against humanity. Jesus came to save humanity and not a particular set of people. That is why we must strive daily to extend the hands of love to whoever we meet.
Just the way we are responsible for the members of our household, we are equally responsible to the society. God longs that we may all be under his rule. Division is against God’s plan.
In the first reading, God instructs Ezekiel never to retract from delivering his message to the sinners. If he refuses, he will pay for it with his life.
Moreover, in the second reading, Paul told the Romans, “Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations”
More so, in the gospel, Jesus instructs us to use every means available to reconcile with whoever is crossed with us.
“If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.”
Those who rejects reconciliation or unity simply demonstrate that they lack the spirit of God. They are to be pitied and they need more attention. They need to be prayed for.
However, Jesus came so that the pagans may repent and worship the living God. He spent his time with the tax collectors, to the extent of making one of them his disciple.
God is present where there is love.
The Lord said, “I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”
May the love which the Lord has poured upon us urge us to create atmosphere of love wherever we find ourselves. Amen.
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