Dear Parish Family,

Our Scriptures today show us how to handle offenses against us. The Lord instructs Ezekiel to warn the wicked to try to turn them from evil ways. While the conscience of the wicked already condemns their evil actions, Ezekiel is nonetheless responsible for warning them of the consequences of their wrongdoing as an act of love. Jesus instructs His disciples to go to the offender directly to make peace, to bring in a mediator if necessary, and finally to bring in the Church as an arbiter of justice if all else fails. The goal is to "win over your brother" to help him or her see the effects of their sin and to come to repentance and move forward in peace. The guiding principle in these conversations is to "love one another" for "love does no evil to the neighbor" as St. Paul says to the Romans. 

Confronting someone who has sinned against us can be difficult. We can be fearful of speaking the truth in charity, give in to the temptation to talk about their wrongdoing behind their backs rather than to them directly, or even hold grudges and seek revenge rather than striving to be a peacemaker. Willing our neighbor's good when they have sinned against us requires courage, kindness, compassion, sincerity, humility, and mercy. We should pray for the offender and ensure our conversation with them holds all of these attributes together from beginning to end.

On the other hand, if we are the ones who have sinned against others, we need to heed the words of Psalm 95: "If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts." In other words, don't get defensive if someone shares with you how your actions hurt them or those they love. Listening to someone share how we need to repent of sin requires receptivity, resiliency to hear the truth, responsibility for our actions, a heartfelt apology, and a commitment to change our ways. There may be more conversations needed, but this initial process of listening and receiving input from another is a mature first step towards healing and reconciliation.

More than anything, we remember the promise of Jesus in the midst of resolving conflict: "Where two or three gather in My Name, there am I in the midst of them." Whether we are the ones who need to have the difficult conversation with someone, or we are the ones who need to receive input from another, we should always enter into these conversations in the spirit of prayer knowing that Jesus is present to help us be peacemakers and reconcile with one another.

St. Patrick's is holding their annual Chinese auction next weekend, Saturday September 12 starting at 11 AM. Visit stpatrickthompson.org/chinese-auction for more information!

St. Mary's Oktoberfest is in two weeks on Sunday, September 20! Be sure to sign up to volunteer and get your presale tickets. Polka Mass with Bishop Malesic at 12 PM followed by festivities from 1-7 PM.

Have a restful holiday weekend!

I am yours in Christ,

Fr. Scott Goodfellow