Pastor's Spiritual Reflections

By Fr. Leo Schneider (9/7/2008)

Dear People of Holy Name,

As disciples of Christ we strive to love God with our whole being and our neighbor as ourselves. We are not only called to be concerned for our own health of mind, body and soul, we are to care for others in the same way. We are called to be our brother’s keeper. The prophet Ezekiel reminds us of our duty to call other people to turn from sin and live in God.

In the Gospel today we are instructed on how do deal with those who have transgressed us. We are to go to them directly, not gossip about what someone has done to us, but deal directly with the person who has hurt us. Often when we talk with someone about how we feel, they have an opportunity to clarify or amend what they have said or done.

If that doesn’t work, we are called to have a third party present for the conversation, so there may be an impartial witness to keep things fair. If that doesn’t work we involve the larger community and if that fails, we remove them from our community. The emphasis in the process is to do all one can to reach a point of reconciliation.

What is tricky in this business is to make sure we work our own ‘program’. It is important to not focus on other people’s faults to avoid our own, or to try and control someone so that they will live like we want them to live, not giving them the right to their own free will. To keep a healthy balance, we must always make sure we are acting out of love, which St. Paul says is always patient and always kind. Love is not vengeful or controlling, it is always a self-sacrificing invitation to genuine intimacy.

When we correct someone it is not to embarrass them or to get even with them, but to grow in our relationship with them, a relationship of love. Without this motive we should keep our mouths shut and wonder what role we have played in any division we may have with another.

We are called to be a loving community. When we gather, Christ is always present, he is for all and desires to make the many one. We gather to pray for ourselves and eachother, asking God to sanctify our community. Such an attitude must be reflected in our prayer as well. When we pray, it isn’t just for what we need. We must be mindful of others and pray for their good and the common good as well.

Our petitions at mass are for our concerns, but also for the needs of all humanity. We model ourselves after Christ, when we put other people before us. In the Christian community when all do the same, all are cared for and everyone’s needs will be met. So our prayer is communal as we take communion, receiving the one who poured himself out for us that we might do the same for one an other.

Let us pray this week here at mass and at home, not just for what we need, but for the needs of our family and friends and just as importantly for our enemies. It is the only way to achieve the peace that is the expression of a people living as one in mind, body and heart. Such prayer may seem strange at first, but it makes our hearts bigger and the love of God in us deeper and more profound. Let us ask the Lord to pray in us and to teach us how to pray as he would pray for all peoples.

In Christ’s peace, Fr. Leo