HOMILY OF 19TH WEDNESDAY ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: CORRECTING IN LOVE
BY: Bishop Gerald Musa
When your brother has mud on his face, wipe it quietly; don’t call the whole village to watch. The Gospel encourages members of the Christian community to speak out to someone who has done wrong. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Matthew 18:15). The sign of any good community is the freedom to speak and the patience to listen.
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If you have anything against someone, it is important to speak directly to the person. If someone has something against you, you would expect the person to speak to you directly about the issue and not just tell everyone who cares to listen. The sign of an unhealthy community is when everyone is speaking about the fault of someone, and no one calls attention to the offender. Most often, the excuses we give for not speaking to the person directly are: “I do not want to hurt his feelings” or “I do not know how he is going to react.”
As members of God’s family, we belong to each other and are held together in love, and it is this love that compels us to bring back anyone who is drifting away from the sheepfold. To offer correction to any erring member, we need to sincerely love the person first, affirm the person’s strengths, and be able to explain why his offence is harmful to his spiritual well-being and to others. When the time comes to lovingly speak the truth to a brother, sister, or friend, will we have the courage to do it?
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