STICKY!  STICKY! 

INTRODUCTION: STATING THE PROBLEM

The title of my homily for this 23 Sunday [A] is, "Sticky! Sticky."

Today’s readings challenge us with one of life’s stickiest problems: to warn or not to warn; to correct or not to correct; to confront or not to confront; to blow the whistle or not to blow the whistle?

None of us wants to be called nosy or a busybody. Who of us wants to be seen as a snitch? Didn’t Jesus say, “Let the one without sin cast the first stone”?

EXAMPLE

A mom is shopping with two close friends at a mall a good hour and a half away from where they live. It’s close to lunch, so one of the ladies says, “I know a nice cozy restaurant just down the road from here.”

The restaurant is crowded -- but the three get seated in a back corner. 

“Uh, oh!” 

The mom sees her married daughter in a booth on the other side of the restaurant with a man other than her husband. And they are being lovey dovey. The daughter doesn’t spot her mother. And thank goodness, the other two ladies don’t spot the mother spotting the daughter and the man she’s with.

So the mother keeps cool and doesn’t let the other ladies know what she’s noticing. Her daughter is not facing her. The mother sees them stand up to leave. They are holding hands on the way out. Arms and shoulders are touching. She mutters to herself another inner, “Uh, oh!” They go outside -- out of view -- but surprise, she sees both of them in the parking lot through the restaurant window giving each other a kiss goodbye and both get into their separate cars. Yes, it’s her daughters maroon Camry - with the gray car child seat.

Obviously, the mom didn’t enjoy the lunch with her good friends.  The other two ladies didn’t seem to notice. All she could think of was her 3 grand kids. All she could think of was her son-in-law. All she could think of was, “Keep cool! Stay calm. What do I do now? To talk to my daughter or what?” Obviously, she didn’t taste the chef salad she ordered -- nor the pie a la mode she had for dessert out of nervousness.

MORE EXAMPLES

A husband, a boss, a priest, a wife, a son, a daughter, a parent, is drinking too much. What to do?

A college basketball referee is gambling. Another referee, whom he does games with, is in the locker room before the game and accidentally overhears the other referee making bets on his iphone before the game. During the game he keeps wondering about some key calls the other ref makes. Is he or isn’t he? What to do?

An accountant in a big company begins to spot some “funny” numbers. Are we being embezzled? Are we? But this accountant has 5 kids and her husband is out of work the last 4 months and so she really needs this job. She need this job big time. What to do?

None of us wants to be called nosy or a busybody. Who of us wants to be seen as a snitch? Didn’t Jesus say, “Let the one without sin cast the first stone”?

HOMILETIC REFLECTIONS: TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings deal with this basic issue of speaking up -- of warning others -- of blowing the whistle -- of correcting others.

In today’s first reading, Ezekiel is appointed watchman for the house of Israel. He is called upon to watch the people and when wicked, to warn them. This is the prophet’s calling; this is the prophet’s job.

Still stronger, Ezekiel says if the watchman sees a danger and doesn’t sound a warning, he or she is responsible for all disasters and damage that happens.

As one glides through the Old Testament, this image of the watchman on the walls of the city is very common. Like a rooster he cries out when “Morning has broken!” But his main job was to stand on the walls or in a watchtower and spot possible enemies. The watchman is the eyes and ears of a city - especially in the night.

And obviously, the prophets being poets, would use this image of watchman for their call to warn the people of sins that could destroy them.

Prophets and preachers are called to yell out “The Word of the Lord”. They are called to speak “the mind of God”. They are to tell people “the Will of God”. This is an awesome responsibility. And at times it can be an awfully dangerous job. It can land a prophet in jail or a pit or on a cross.

Is it everyone’s call? Is it the call of the Christian?

Today’s gospel touches on this touchy situation as well: this call to correct a brother or a sister who sins against us.

But who wants to correct others? Who wants to be called nosy or a busy buddy? Who wants to be called a mud slinger? Who wants to rock the boat? Who wants to be called a “Whistle Blower?” Who wants to be told, “Mind your own business?” Who wants to run the risk of having mud thrown back in one’s face. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Today’s readings give us the issue, the motive and a method for correcting, warning, confronting or blowing the whistle on another person.

Ezekiel tells us to do to speak up.

Paul tells us why to do it. Jesus tells us how to do it.

It would seem that the “why?” is the key. The motive always has to be love. Paul tells us that’s what we owe each other: to love one another. When we do that we fulfill the law.

And Paul continues in today’s second reading by stating the Golden Rule: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Paul says that is underneath the commandments that we don’t commit adultery, steal, covet, “and whatever other commandment there may be.”

We wouldn’t love it or like it if someone hurt us in these ways, so we shouldn’t break any of these commandments and hurt others.

So the motive is love. “Love is the fulfillment of the law.”

If our motive is the “get” another, then we should not proceed further with the “how” question.

If our motive is love, then in God’s good time, we can proceed with Jesus’ method of correcting another.

We all have heard Jesus’ method of fraternal correction since we were kids. First go to the person one to one. If that doesn’t work, go to him or her a second time with two or three witnesses. If this doesn’t work, go to the church community with the problem. If this doesn’t work, then exclude him or her from the community.

CONCLUSION

Now this is antsy stuff. This is tough love stuff. This is painful stuff. This is sticky, sticky stuff. This is stuff we are stuck with doing - as Christians - as long as we are doing this with love. Amen.