Love does no wrong to a neighbor

The brief passage from the letter of Paul to the Romans in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today states the summary of our obligation to one another as love. "Love is the fulfilling of the Law". (Romans 13:14). The Prophet Ezekiel hears from God the instruction to be a sentinel for the community and to warn the wicked to turn from their ways. Fr Larry Gillick SJ reminds us of the quilt we can experience when we do not act the warn the wicked as Ezekiel is directed to do.  Our reluctance to correct others is the opportunity to pause and prepare to do so in love. Just as the mission of physical healing acts through human physicians, the ministry of correcting our brothers and sisters can act through an understanding of human sensitivity. We are required to support the community through correction of error and at the same time put love as the primary action we have with one another. Correction in love is a blessing to both parties. The tension between the warning of the psalmist to "listen to his voice" and "harden not your heart" and the requirement to be Eucharist, compassion and mercy to the errant one is real and needs prayerful attention. Father Larry warns us that the error we might see in others may be a reflection of how that person trips our own sense of "how things should be done". Our personal sense can be influenced by our own errant ways. The one who is endangering the community with his or her error will be seen by others in the community as needing correction too. The Gospel of Matthew provides a formula for the approach to the one who has sinned. The importance of bringing Jesus with you and the other is paramount for love to be the heart of the message. It is His promise and our experience that He is Present as the indwelling Spirit of people commune with the Spirit of God through Him.