23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Homily, and subsequent thoughts…
It wasn’t until mass today, see video below, that I realized that today was 9/11. Not only do we have a mysterious God, but a good God.
This weekend I preached on the internal part of the message in the readings. Click here to read readings. All of them had an internal element. Ezekiel reminds us that our faith requires us to take responsibility for our brothers and sisters in faith. Even correcting those that need correcting. The second reading and Gospel tell us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Seems pretty simple.
First, in context, before we can correct or direct our fellow journeyers on this path, we have to make sure we are right with God. To hit this home more, we have to love our neighbor as ourselves. Simple, until you realize that you have to love yourself first! To love ourselves as God loves each of us.
To apply this, we all have people in our lives that seem to be placed on this earth to drive us crazy or to be our arch nemesis. These are the people we like to hold a grudge against. These are the people we try to get others to side with us against them.
The command is to love! What we naturally want doesn’t fit today’s message. With absolutely no clue that today, Monday & day I am typing, was 9/11, I mention that it took me 10 years to even realize that I should be praying for our attackers on 9/11. The way I have found it best to deal with those that really drive me to distraction is to earnestly pray for them. Pray for their well being! (Not that they fall off face of the earth or something along those lines.)
In our human state, that is the only way I have found to try and live this message to love. How else can we correct those with us in our faith. Only in love and prayer. I am not sure it is ever easy, but it certainly makes life easier.