DENOUNCE THE EVIL; DO NOT BE PART OF IT

XXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Romans 13:8-10

When asked by the Pharisees about the first and most important commandment, Jesus answered, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt 22:37-40)

Jesus presented these two commandments, which are interdependent, as the summary of all the commandments. Thus all Christian norms of behaviour derive from these two commandments. Following on the footsteps of Jesus, Paul presents the same doctrine. As for the love of God, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 12:1-2, Paul advises us to offer ourselves as a sacrifice to God: 

“present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This “spiritual worship” will help us to know the will of God and do “what is good and acceptable and perfect”. Pursuing his line of thought, in this Sunday’s second reading (Ro 13:8-10), Paul tells us that, although avoiding all kinds of debts, we are indebted to everybody and we should pay “the debt of mutual love” without delay. We may ask what does this mutual love imply. Jesus said: “love your neighbour as yourself”. And Paul adds to that: “Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments”.

According to the Gospel, this “mutual love” implies responsibility for the welfare and the salvation of the others. We cannot put ourselves in their place or do for them what they should do, but we must give good guidance and do the brotherly correction. Any of us can go astray and any of us can do wrong to the others. Jesus proposes a way of fraternal correction. In the first step, the one who feels offended approaches the other, making known his complaint. The offender may not pay attention or reject the fraternal correction. Then, there is a second step, asking the help and intervention of a few respectable people. Maybe, the offender will listen and the problem will be solved. If the situation persists, then, in a third step, inform the community. If nothing changes, there is nothing else to do, but to ignore him.

Today’s gospel and the first reading (from Ezekiel) make it clear that we cannot ignore the evil around us. We must denounce it and refuse to be part of it.