It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. (1 Cor 4:1-5)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090624.cfm
A long time ago, in a parish far, far away, I founded an AIDS ministry. Some time later I was being attacked by a group of ‘concerned parishioners.’ So one Sunday I addressed the issue in a homily and this is how I concluded: “As a pastor and a priest, I will not turn my back on those who are living with HIV/AIDS. As a pastor and a priest, I will not turn my back on our gay brothers and sisters and their families. One day I will have to stand before our Lord and give an accounting of my priestly ministry. He is the one to judge me--not you. And what is the measure he will use? . . . ‘”as often as you did it for one of these least ones, you did it to me.”’
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.
Friday, Week XXII, Ordinary Time
