September 7, 2014
We live in a contentious and a litigious age.
These are big words which only mean that we
like to get in each other=s
face and take one another to court almost at the drop of a hat.
Jesus gives us some basic rules for living in
a Christian community which fly in the face of the way we often live.
I had an experience that involved a few
extremely conservative students at Catholic University.
These students belonged to a group that had
appointed themselves to be watchdogs in the sanctuary.
They reported three priests for not
genuflecting every time they passed the tabernacle while preparing for Mass, as
well as using some inclusive language such as "all people" for
"all men."
The bishop asked them if they had approached the
priests first before coming to him, and when they said "no," he told
them that their "tattling" on us was inappropriate.
He told them to speak to the priests
directly.
I=ve
had an experience at St. Therese while I was there.
A letter was written to the Bishop about me,
not entirely complementary.
That person asked that their name not be
given to me.
I told the Bishop that it was difficult, if
not improper, to respond to an anonymous complaint.
He agreed.
In the years following that person never came
up to me to tell me face-to face that they had any problem with me.
To the credit of most parishioners here, you have no problem telling me
face-to-face that you disagree!
There can be no room in any Christian
community for rumors and innuendo;
no room for talking behind another=s back what you don=t have the integrity or courage to say
to their face in Christian humility.
The sharpest criticism by Jesus toward anyone was
about self-righteousness and a condemnatory spirit.
Any pastoral leader today really needs to try to
touch that part of believers that tries to be tolerant and understanding.
We need civil discourse in the church.
We're a community of believers and there are
certain family dynamics that govern our behavior.
For example, if we know someone is involved in an
adulterous relationship and it is widely known, perhaps he or she might be
asked not to continue to serve on a marriage preparation team.
Most of you in the pews are working hard to do
what is right.
The church is called to be a community of people
helping each other, not condemning and causing division.
Today's society places great stresses on people
and we are never allowed to judge their hearts.
The job of a preacher is to help people feel that
God is close to them and understands their burdens.
The job of every disciple is to build bridges
between people.
Not to tear them down or build walls.
There is no room for scolding or making people
feel excluded, an attitude that creates polarization rather than building up
the Body of Christ.
We need to try to follow the words of Jesus today:
"Wherever two or three are gathered in my name I am there."
This
doesn=t happen
automatically.
Reading
this scripture in context, the real meaning is more like this:
AWhere two or three are gathered
together to seek agreement, to seek understanding, to seek reconciliation and
love, I am there.@
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