Thus says the LORD: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel. (Ez 33:7-9)
Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. (Rom 13:8-10)
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Mt 18:15-20)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091023.cfm
To be the watchman (perhaps a better translation is “sentinel”) has been turned by some into “judge, jury and executioner.” But Saint Paul says, since Love is the fulfillment of the law, then Love does no evil to the neighbor. The church is not its own boss, as Jesus gently reminds us: where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in their midst. It is the Lord, the Good Shepherd, who judges us and always treats us with mercy and compassion.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Sunday, Week XXIII, Ordinary Time
