23rd Sunday Ordinary Time (A) 10 September 2023 Sermon

23^rd Sunday Ordinary Time (A) 10 September 2023 Body of Christ

St Paul puts before us the image of the human body as a point of comparison for the spiritual life (1 Cor 12,12-31)

We have each one body which has many parts. Even if even one part is out of order the whole body suffers.

So it is with the Body of Christ, of which we are all a part. If even one member of the Body makes a false step there is an element of discord registered in the whole Body.

St Paul appeals to each of us to do our part in enabling the Body to proceed as it should – in expressing the will of God as He works through each of us, seeking always to embrace more members from among all the scattered sheep in the world.

The Gospel today gives a blueprint for what to do when a member of the Body is misbehaving. There is a graded response whereby the misbehaving member is given stronger correction if he has not responded already. Finally, excommunication is the last resort. (Mt 18,15-20).

In all this procedure the emphasis is on charity and mercy, so that the offender should not feel he has been rejected altogether. The idea is to get him back to full union with the Church (1 Cor 5,1-5).

Given the size of the Church (over a billion members) there are always going to be areas of disagreement. And some of these disagreements will be much less charitably expressed than the Gospel requires.

To which we can say, Forgive each other as soon as a quarrel starts (Col 3,13); treat each other as gently as we would hope to be treated in our turn. The golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do to you (Mt 7,12).

We should be as anxious to preserve unity in the Church as we are to have our own physical bodies have peace within.

God is always at peace with Himself and wants us to share in that state.

Unity does not mean we have to agree on everything. We must agree at least on the essential matters covered in the creeds and catechisms. We have received the faith handed down to us, and it is our task to pass it on without alteration to those who come after us.

For the rest there can be discussion, but always within the bounds of charity and wisdom.

If we ever have to correct someone we think is in error, or someone thinks we are in error, then it is especially important that we keep charity foremost.

Truth can be lost in the midst of personal animosity. One major example of that would be the behaviour of the Pharisees in dealing with Our Lord.

They came to hate Him so much, through a mixture of jealousy and rage, that they did not care if He were the true Messiah or not. They just wanted Him gone, murdered if necessary.

We can be attached to certain causes within the Church to the point that we can come to dislike, or even hate those who oppose us.

This is where we have to be careful not to create more discord than there already is by pushing too hard on our own point of view.

If it is a matter of faith and morals the Church can deal with that along the lines of Mt 18, 15-20).

If it is less important then we may have to let others go their own way, all the while maintaining charity and mutual prayer.

Let peace prevail, whereby all parties to a dispute find their point of reference in Jesus Christ, the Head of the Body, the Master of all disciples.

If we achieve a basic unity He will give us the grace to build on that, while achieving a better understanding of all the issues involved.

This is the Peace of the Lord which is offered to all who come to Mass. The peace of the Lord be with you always. Amen.