Am I My Brother's Keeper?
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
This Sunday, we ask ourselves this question: AM I MY BROTHER’S OR SISTER’S KEEPER? The main thought of this Sunday’s readings is about the impact of our membership in the Church, especially to our “private” lives. Being a member of the Church means that we belong to a community of brothers and sisters. When we were baptized, as a sacramental effect, we become CHILDREN OF GOD and HEIRS of the Kingdom of Heaven! And so, we belong to that ONE BIG FAMILY of God.
Some important points from our readings:
First, we are indeed our brother’s or sister’s keepers. Oftentimes, we give too much emphasis on our private lives that we tend to think that other people have no right in any way to interfere with it. But Jesus emphatically affirms that we are our brother’s/sister’s keepers, and we have a serious obligation to correct others. Have we offered advice and encouragement to our friends and neighbors and co-workers when it was needed? Or have we given a private but loving correction where that was possible? It is a given fact that a great degree of indifference to religion shown by today’s young people is due to lack of parental/fraternal guidance and example.
A grandmother was celebrating her golden wedding anniversary who told the secret of her long and happy marriage. She said, “On my wedding day, I decided to make a list of ten of my husband’s faults which, for the sake of marriage, I would overlook.” A guest asked the woman what some of the faults she had chosen to overlook were. The grandmother replied, “To tell you the truth, I never did get around to making that list. But whenever my husband did something that made me mad, I would say to myself, “Lucky for him that’s one of the ten.”
For sure this grandmother did not simply overlook the faults of her husband, but rather in her patient ways, has reminded the guests that any relationship could not reach a point of understanding simply by fault-finding. We have to offer fraternal correction and be very humble to accept corrections/criticisms as well. As Gandhi once puts it, “There is no way to peace, peace is the way!” Peaceful dialogue is built from humility and constructive criticisms.
Second, Jesus asks us to gather in His name and by His name work wonders. Remember, a few Sundays ago when I pointed out as knowledge of Jesus that “He is our Personal Savior and Guide?” He is the Good Shepherd and He walks with us on this journey to everlasting life. He assures us that together we can do something; together we can accomplish our roles and duties as Christians. If, as a group, we gather, work, and act with the Holy Spirit guiding us, we will become much more than simply the collective number of people that we are. One in Christ, our community can use God’s power to make His healing, life-giving love more effective among His people.
We should always put to mind the communitarian dimension of the Church in all its ministries. When you go to study the sacraments as principal means of grace, you’ll notice that by its essence the sacraments reflect a communitarian dimension. No sacrament has been established by Christ solely to benefit an individual but rather calls to mind the community into which it is an essential part.
Third, our everyday work MUST be a sign of stewardship. As we acknowledge our responsibility towards our brothers and sisters and in a joint action work together for a purpose, it is now much easier for us to relate our day’s work as a sign of stewardship. Too often, we try to dichotomize daily work at home or at the office with what we do in the Church. Stewardship reflects what St. Elizabeth Seton once said, “We must live more so that others may live simply.” Does this imply taking our work for granted to respond to Church needs? NO! For instance, this week you could voluntarily do without some good thing like a soft drink for lunch so that you could have some money to help an agency that’s devoted to the development of “third-world” nations or alleviation of poverty. In that way, you help people who are in need without necessarily giving up your work but using it so that other people may live. In this time of the pandemic, I believe that we have to be more ingenious not only in our work but in our giving as well.
Yes, indeed we are our brother’s or sister’s keepers - the very thought of this Sunday’s readings. It is our basic duty as Christians to correct the faults of our brothers and sisters in a kind way and so reach a point of resolution. In so doing, we recognize the importance of living as one community for together we can! Through the working of the Holy Spirit, we can make healing and life-giving love possible. This Sunday as we lift all our prayers and petitions to God, let us offer them to Him together with our faults and weaknesses. We firmly believe that as we acknowledge them, we become more forgiving and caring to our brothers and sisters, and more importantly, we truly become signs and worthy “stewards” of God.
