WE ARE OUR BROTHER’S AND SISTER’S KEEPERS: Ezekiel 33:7–9; Romans 13:8–10; Matthew 18:15–20
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
A little boy once saw an elderly man struggling to carry several heavy bags. The boy ran over and said, “Sir, can I help you?” The man smiled and said, “Thank you, but I can manage.”
The boy replied, “Maybe you can, but you shouldn’t have to do it alone.”
What a beautiful attitude! “You shouldn’t have to do it alone.”
That little boy understood something very important about Christian life: we belong to one another.
Today’s readings remind us that we are not simply individuals walking through life. We are responsible for one another. We are our brother’s and sister’s keepers.
God tells the prophet Ezekiel, “I have appointed you as a watchman.” A watchman watches over others. If danger is coming, he cannot simply remain silent. He must warn them.
Why? Because love cares enough to speak.
St. Paul gives us the foundation of this responsibility: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.”
And Jesus tells us exactly how that love should look when someone has hurt us or gone in the wrong direction.
He says, “Go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.”
Notice that Jesus says “between you and him alone.”
He doesn’t say, “Tell everyone.”…He doesn’t say, “Talk about it with your friends.”
And He certainly doesn’t say, “Post it on Facebook!”
Jesus says: Go directly. Go privately. Go lovingly. That is difficult…It is much easier to talk about someone than to talk to someone.
It is easier to complain than to reconcile. It is easier to point a finger than to look into a mirror.
And that is why we need to remember: Sometimes we need a mirror before we need a megaphone.
Before I correct someone else, I should ask myself: “Am I correcting this person because I love them—or because I want to prove that I am right?”
There is a difference between correction and condemnation. Condemnation says, “You are a bad person.” Love says, “I care about you, and I want what is good for you.”
A loving parent corrects a child. A true friend speaks the truth.
A good Christian does not remain silent when someone is walking toward danger.
But Christian correction always begins with humility and love.
And sometimes, the first person who needs to change is me.
Sometimes the most powerful words we can say are:
“I was wrong.” “I’m sorry.” “Please forgive me.”..Think about the power of those simple words.
They can heal a marriage. They can bring peace to a family.They can restore a friendship.
They can heal wounds that have remained open for years.
And then Jesus gives us a beautiful promise: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Jesus is telling us: You are not alone.
When Christ is at the center of our relationships, He can transform anger into understanding, conflict into reconciliation, and wounds into healing.
My brothers and sisters, perhaps today Jesus is asking each of us three simple questions:
Is there someone I need to forgive? Is there someone I need to speak to lovingly? Is there someone to whom I need to say, “I’m sorry”?
We are not called to be judges of one another. We are called to be keepers of one another.
Let us ask the Lord for the courage to speak the truth with love, the humility to accept correction, the grace to forgive, and the courage to ask forgiveness.
And may our families and our parish become places where people don’t simply hear about the love of Christ, but experience that love through us.
Because at the end of the day, Christianity is not simply about knowing that God loves us. It is about becoming the kind of people through whom others can experience God’s love.
May Christ remain at the center of our lives, our families, and our parish, so that whenever we gather in His name, His presence may bring us healing, unity, and peace.
Amen.