GROW AS A DISCIPLE
St. Teresa of Calcutta once wrote, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Community, when lived according to Christ’s command to love one another, fills us with joy and companionship. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that living as a Church also means holding one another accountable when a member of the community has gone astray. While we are not responsible for the choices others make, we have a responsibility to help one another out of love. Ezekiel’s task as a prophet was not always an easy one, nor is it easy today to speak out against injustice or wrongdoing. But the good news of our faith and our Church is that we belong to Christ and to each other. When we speak the truth in the face of injustice, it should serve to rally one another toward righteousness as we journey as one Body to the eternal glory of heaven.
GO EVANGELIZE
Our Gospel speaks about moments where members of the Church help one another to recognize and turn away from sin. Each of us will have moments in which we need to be reminded of God’s commands and called to conversion. In those moments, we can give powerful witness to Christ by receiving the truth with humility and allowing ourselves to be led back to the loving arms of the Good Shepherd. Acceptance of our own shortcomings and flaws can be an opportunity to recognize that we are not the agents of our own salvation. Then, by seeking the love and forgiveness of God – especially in the sacrament of reconciliation – we show, by our example, that all people are called to be reconciled with our Lord so that we may live together in the fullness of his glory for all eternity.
PRAY
A prayer before confession: God, you know all that I do and all that is in my heart. I turn to you today because I know that I have made choices that have hurt others and rejected you. You have made me conscious of an emptiness in my life because of my sinfulness. I want to turn back to you and the way of life to which you call me.
In your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.