HOMILY FROM CANON STEPHEN BAILLIE
23rd Sunday of Year A20
‘I shall be there with them’
INTRODUCTION
We gather as the people of God to worship our Creator, to listen to God’s Word to us today and to be nourished at the Eucharist.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Ezekiel 33: 7-9 God tells Ezekiel he will be held accountable for the task as a prophet.
Romans 13: 8-10 St. Paul insists that what is done in love cannot hurt another.
Matthew 18: 15-20 Jesus shows how love can sometimes include confrontation.
Matthew’s chapter 18 is a discourse on relations within the Christian Community and today’s Gospel gives some very practical advice about a problem we all encounter – CONFLICT. The beautiful phrase ‘you have won back your brother’ highlights the importance of resolving our differences with one another; love sometimes involves confrontation.
We may involve others to help mediate but only when the first stage has failed.
To seek help requires great humility and involving the wider community may seem harsh, but we should not be naïve, lasting peace sometimes requires mediation.
There is an unusual verse referring to tax collectors and Gentiles and the drastic steps that are taken in order to protect the community. Perhaps it is these groups of people who are calling on the community to face facts and to move forward.
Mediation is not an easy task, whether it is a parent dealing with conflict in the family; a diplomat trying to create peace-keeping deals in conflict-zones;
a counsellor journeying with two people;
conflict is all around us. Today’s Gospel urges dialogue, patience, perseverance and the space to allow grace to enter.
