Our Ministries
4 Sep

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Watching Out and Watching In

Watchmen and women, love and prayer! These are three key words guiding our reflection this weekend. Ezekiel is called to be a prophet, to be a watchman who addresses injustice in his world. Our Baptism anoints each of us as priest, prophet, and king. So we too are called to be prophets (watchmen and women). We are called to “watch out” for injustice, especially that which diminishes life in any way.

How are you a watchperson? What do you see as unjust as you take watch? What do you do about it? Do you speak with the strength and conviction of Ezekiel who knows he is responsible for the lives of the people he is watching? Who are your partners in keeping watch? Who are the watchpersons God is sending into our world today? Can you think of ways to bring justice and God’s desire and vision for all human beings to live and to thrive?

God tells Ezekiel that he must speak, he must be the towncrier, calling out the wrongdoings, asking for a change of heart. Ezekiel is responsible. We are responsible. To work actively to seek solutions is to examine ourselves and our responsibility, to “watch in.”

God’s greatest commandment, Jesus teaches us, is love of neighbor. No exceptions! Every person on this earth is our brother or sister. Love makes us responsible for all.

And what becomes of us if we get it wrong? If we fail? That’s why we have community. As brothers and sisters to each other, we learn to intervene when we see wrongdoing. We take risks in doing so because we believe that change of heart is possible in each of us. The Christian community is called to defend the interests of the least ones in our midst, as well as to create the space and conditions for forgiveness and restoration to flourish.

Our strength, our courage to speak and act comes from our reliance on God to grant our request in some way when we gather with others to pray. Prayer helps us to discern what message to speak. Prayer helps us to discern what actions on behalf of the least among us we are called to take.

For this let us all work and pray.

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