Making Decisions about other people

The challenge of making decisions about people in the Christian community is presented in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Paul confronts the issue of an immoral sexual lifestyle among a community member

by directing that he be removed from the community. Friar Jude Winkler comments on understanding excommunication as a therapeutic initiative toward the expelled to let him understand the gravity of his situation and the scandal he brings to the community. Friar Jude acknowledges that excommunication has not always been used to help the offender. It is difficult to act in ways which truly are "for your own good" when that is being applied to the other. The community and the individual may be in tension. The Gospel from Luke is a scenario where we, like the Pharisee, often attack an individual for one aspect of their life which we use to justify our dismissal and complete rejection of him. Jesus decides to heal the withered hand of a man on the Sabbath. This was not life saving action for which the critics who have less to say but it was a good act which could have been postponed. Friar Jude suggests that we act in our overheated political actions to demonize our opponents and become blind to the good that is also in them as brother or sister in God.