St. Philip Catholic Church: There is a phrase that sometimes we use when we do not want to become involved in someone's else problem. It's none of my business. Sometimes there is wisdom. We do not need to have an opinion about everything or insert ourselves in everybody's life. But today the word of God tells us something uncomfortable. Sometimes it is our business. In the first reading, God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel. In an ancient word, the watchmen stood on the city walls looking for approaching danger. He was not responsible for fighting every battle, but he was responsible for sounding the alarm. God tells Ezekiel that if he sees someone walking towards destruction or says and says nothing, he shares responsibility for what happens. The message is clear. Love cannot always remain silent. Sometimes love must speak the truth. We might compare the watchman to a warning light on the dashboard of a car. There are few things more annoying than seeing one of those lights appear. We either become worried immediately or decide that the light must be a mistaken and keep driving. But the warning light is not our enemy. It's not trying to ruin our day. As a matter of fact, this morning one just popped up on my car. It appears because something may be wrong and because greater damage can still be prevented. Ignoring it may feel peaceful for a while. But that is not true peace. It is simply postponing the problem. The message of Ezekiel is that love cannot always remain silent. Sometimes love must sound the alarm. It is difficult because our culture often confuses love with approval. We imagine that loving someone means affirming every choice that person makes. But Saint Paul tells us love does no evil to the neighbor. Real love desires the good of the other person. Sometimes love is encouraged, sometimes it comforts, forgives, and waits patiently. But sometimes love means having a conversation that neither person wants to have. Parents understand this. If a child is walking towards traffic, a loving parish does not say, I respect your personal journey. The parent grabs that child, loves acts when someone is in danger. I just saw a dad was like the kid was running, he just grabbed the kid, it's like, okay, that's what we do. However, Jesus made clear that correcting another person must be done with humility, patience, and cheering. If our brother sin against you, go and tell him, tell him his fault before. And between you and him alone. Notice the order. Go to him. Not to Facebook. Not to the group, the family group chat, not to three friends, not to everyone in the parish except the person involved. Don't write the bishop. No, go directly to the person. I just have to share this. there is somebody and I don't know who the person is because the person doesn't write doesn't sign the letter that is very upset that we're having baptisms during mass. And the person, you know, leaves voicemail and we try to call the person, the person doesn't answer. And I receive a letter from all of us with a Batman stamp. And it's great. I can't talk to the person because the person doesn't know who he is. And then this morning, there is a family that is cuin OCIA and came here for the first time for mass. And then I said, Hey, we're gonna have a baptism during mass. And this family just lighted up and said, Great, we're gonna be participating in this. It's like, okay, they got it. Thank you for you guys who said that. And for the grand old man, just come talk to me. We'll talk. And I'll tell you why you're wrong. Anyways, going back to the homily. It is easy to correct strangers on social media. Apparently, many people consider this a spiritual gift. But Jesus asks us to do something more difficult and more Christian. Approach the person directly, personally and privately. We often speak about people instead of speaking to them. We may call it concern, discernment, or asking for advice, but sometimes it is simply gossip. Wearing clothes, church clothes. Once we start talking about the person, we begin collecting allies. And soon we disag the disagreement becomes two opposite camps. Jesus offers another way. Why should we speak privately? Because the purpose of the Christian correction is not humiliation but reconciliation. Jesus says If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. That is the heart of today's gospel. The goal is to win our brothers and sisters, not to win the argument. Winning an argument may leave us with defeated enemies. Christian correction should leave us with restored brothers and sisters. Before correcting someone, therefore, we must examine our own heart. Do I sincerely desire that that person's good or am I looking for opportunity to punish that person? Bless you. Do I want reconciliation or do I simply want to prove that I'm right? Correction with love quickly become condemnation. And this is why it must begin with prayer. If we have spent more time discussing someone's fault with others than discussing that person's with God, we are probably not ready for that conversation. Prayer purifies our intentions. It reminds us that the person who has seen is still a child of God, and that we also depend upon God's mercy. Before a difficult conversation, we should pray, Jesus, go there before me. Prepare my heart and the heart of the other person. But there is another side of the gospel. Sometimes we are the person being corrected. We usually hear this passage and immediately think about someone who we need to correct. But what happens is when a spouse says you hurt me. When a child says you never listen. When a friend says I'm worried about you, when the fence immediately goes up. We explain, justify and contract, but yes, but you and the conversation ends. That is why the Psalm tells us if today you hear his voice, harden not your heart. Sometimes God speaks through scripture, prayer in the church. Sometimes he speaks through the person sitting across the table telling us something that we do not want to hear. Not every criticism is correct or fair. Nevertheless, a humble Christian can ask, Lord, is there something here that I need to hear? Even a small amount of truth may be precisely where God wants to begin his work in us. Jesus concludes with this beautiful promise where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of death. And just a little liturgical in Brazil, when the priests say the Lord be with you, we don't answer and with your spirit. What we answer is He is in our midst. Such a profound answer. Because the Lord be with you, He is indeed in our midst. We often quote those words when speaking about prayer, but notice the context. Jesus says then while teaching about conflict, correction and reconciliation, Christ wants us to end precisely on those relationships to have become difficult the marriage where communication has broken down, the family where people no longer speak, the friendship won by betrayer, and the parish where people disagree. Christianity is not about avoiding every conflict. It's about allowing Christ to enter the conflict. In a few moments, we approach one altar to receive the one body of Christ. We cannot seek communion with Christ while remaining indifferent to communion with one another. When one member of the Christ of Christ's body is wounded, the whole body suffers. When one member is restored, the whole body rejoices. Perhaps this week there is somebody we need to speak with, forgive, or listen to. Perhaps there is somebody from whom we need to ask forgiveness. Perhaps we have been talking about someone when Jesus is asking us to speak to that person. Truth without love. Is cruel. Why love without truth, it's just sentimentalism. In Jesus Christ, truth and love are never separated. Lord, give us courage to speak when we should speak, humility to listen when we should listen, and the generosity to forgive when we should forgive. Give us the grace to seek not merely. to win an argument, but to win our brothers and sisters back and be in communion with you.