23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (I Have Appointed You Watchman)

You may recall last Sunday, when we heard from the prophet Jeremiah. He was at the end of his rope, in fulfilling the responsibility God had entrusted to him, to speak a difficult message to the people. This Sunday, we hear from the prophet Ezekiel, who likewise was told by God to proclaim a message of warning to the people, telling them to reform their lives. God warned Ezekiel that if he did not proclaim this message, and the people suffer consequences, that Ezekiel himself would be responsible. Most all of us can relate to this dilemma.

I recall a young lady in her early twenties, asking me for guidance. She said one of her long-time friends who is Catholic, whom she cared deeply about, was making life-decisions that were contrary to what they were raised to believe, choices she believed were spiritually harmful. “Am I supposed to tell her that what she’s doing is wrong?” 

As we heard in the first reading, God told Ezekiel he was to be a watchman for the house of Israel. A watchman was a person posted on a hilltop or in a tower on the outskirts of the city, whose job was to watch. When he saw a foreign invader approaching—a source of potential harm to the people—he blew a trumpet as warning.

          But who of us enjoys being called out when we’re doing something wrong? There are occasions I need to hear it, but I also know my instinctive response can be to take offense. It’s a form of pride at work. Ask yourself: from whom are you willing to receive correction? If you are young, hopefully it’s your parents or a teacher. If an adult, maybe your boss; maybe a close friend; maybe a counselor….maybe.

“(Ezekiel), if you do not speak out…I will hold you responsible…” I think of that precarious role, and yet as pastor, that’s one of my roles for this community. I sometimes worry that at the end of my life, I’ll face my Creator, and he will say to me, “Why did you not tell them that difficult truths that I put into your heart and your mind?” I don't believe it will hold water for me to say that I was fearful of the people's rejection.

Objectively speaking, I believe that most Catholics would say they need that from their priest. But are we really open to it? I remember being at a dinner with a group of Catholics, and in the course of discussion, one person suggested that the Church should keep out of the private lives of people. I recall that her point was specifically around sexual morality, such as Church teaching that calls to abstain from sex outside of marriage or that tells us we are better served by not cohabitating.

I didn't push back against her assertion, although I believe I should have. I would have told her that the Church doesn't impose anything. Instead, the Church simply echoes what we believe God has called us to and invites us to it. Again, as with Ezekiel, if God has called us to this and the Church is too fearful to share it, then we, as a Church, are responsible for whatever ways it bears destructive consequences in people's lives.

And it’s not just me who is called to be watchman and prophet. At our baptism we were called to a 3-fold office: baptized priest, prophet and king. We have a responsibility to lovingly speak to each other, when we see we’re doing something harmful to ourselves or to each other. Objectively, we might say agree to this, but it’s not that easy. When we are with a friend, gossiping about a third person; or when a friend cuts corners in ways that might be ‘technically legal’, though not necessarily ethical, what do we do?

I believe we fear coming off as being judgmental. We fear getting push-back. But I also believe that part of why we say nothing is that we may well be guilty of the same behavior. How can I suggest that your gossiping is a problem, when I'm the one with whom you gossip?

What are we to do? Well for one thing, in the moments when we’re on the receiving-end of correction, consider the motivation of the one addressing us: Does he/she love me? Let us not be so quick to take offense. And when giving constructive correction to others—which by the way is one of the spiritual works of mercy—may we do so with patience, humility, gentleness, sincerity and above all, love. Let us evaluate our motivation: Is it love or merely self-righteousness? Is it to help or just to find fault? And further, let us never forget the fact that we ourselves are always in need of help and correction.

So, can we love and trust enough to hear what we need to hear, and to say what we need to say? Somehow, I think if we don’t at least aspire to that, we’re not being authentic as a Christian community. Even if it’s sometimes hard, let us, just as Jesus did, have courage to speak truth, but may it always be rooted in love.