Podcast: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Hi and welcome to The Modern Psalmist Podcast for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

I’m Rebecca De La Torre.

In today’s readings we are challenged to demonstrate *true* examples of love.

You know, we always hear and talk about how “God is Love” – it’s unfortunately quite a hackneyed phrase these days, albeit true.

But what does that really mean for us in our daily lives?

I even see influencers online throwing the words around like “love you guys” and “oh, I love you all so much”

But what does it mean when someone with 100,000 followers or even millions of followers says something like that?

It sort of cheapens the phrase, doesn’t it?

Or worse, in our modern culture, love is used to describe what is really just lust.

So why do we say “God is love”?

Well, the readings today begin to give us an idea of what it really means to love.

The Entrance Antiphon is the perfect opening scripture for us, where we ask God to treat us according to his loving mercy.

Taken from the longest chapter in the books of Psalms, chapter 119, the antiphon blends verses 137 and 124:

You are just, O Lord, and your judgment is right;
treat your servant in accord with your merciful love.
(Psalm 119:137, 124)

If we are going to learn to love like God loves, we need to learn to listen to God. The psalm for today emphasizes exactly that.

From Psalm 95, the response is:

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

But how do we recognize his voice? How do we know that what we hear is really God and not some other voice?

From my experience, the best way to distinguish the voice of God in the Holy Spirit is by studying his scriptures – by reading his Word and actively applying it to our lives. Then we are more likely to know right away if the force we feel trying to guide us is in line with the words of Jesus – because we are reading his words regularly.

Also, *ask* the Lord for wisdom and discernment. This is a request that God will always grant when asked by a sincere and contrite heart.

If we are open to hear God when he speaks to us, and especially when we obey his Word, we are living a life of love. God will never lead us to be unjust with another.

St Paul tells us today in Romans 13:8:

“Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

And he concludes in verses 9 & 10:

“whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Even St Augustine said:

“Love and do what you will.”
– St Agustine

Sometimes truly acting in love is really hard, especially when you observe wrong or are wronged by another.

In the first reading today, we are reminded that it is our obligation to speak out against wrong. In Ezekiel chapter 33 verse 9, we read:

“If you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.”

And in the gospel today, Jesus tells us essentially the same thing, except that it is less general and more specific to when someone wrongs *us* personally.

In Matthew 18:15 he tells us:

“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.”

Jesus continues in this gospel passage to describe the best way to handle disputes. But I want to reflect on these first sentences. Because, if we are honest with ourselves, this first step is often the hardest to take.

It’s so much easier to just complain about who did you wrong and gossip about it. And especially since most people are afraid of confrontation, that makes it even more challenging.

Of course I’m talking about in person confrontation, because the socials have given many a timid person the gall to attack others on social platforms. But that’s cowardly and I’m not calling passive aggressive attacks on social media “loving confrontation”.

I’m talking about dealing with the people in your life every day, face to face – the people you work with or who live in your neighborhood or who even live in the same household. Ha, especially those in the same household, right?

I tell you, I’m definitely not afraid of confrontation in any form, when I feel justified. But being in the right is irrelevant if you can’t communicate in a loving manner.

St Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:15 to “speak the truth in love”

So if you’re in the right or not, it’s hard to demonstrate love in everything that you do. Like Jesus says in this passage:

“If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.”

This is implying that we need to communicate how we have been wronged in a gentle and loving way. And think about how much heartache can be avoided if we do as Jesus says here, and truly win over our brother or sister or friend or neighbor, etc.

And Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything that he hasn’t already done himself.

Jesus has been in our shoes. He has lived and suffered on this earth, and yet he did not sin. He even has a right to disdain us and judge us, and yet he receives us with mercy.

In the communion antiphon taken from John chapter 8 verse 12, Jesus tells us himself:

“I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”

LOVE is the light of our path.

We need to ask ourselves how we can better walk in the light of God’s love and truly fulfill his law for our lives and for everyone on earth.

I want to leave you with a beautiful song that my friend Michael John Poirer composed titled “In the Light.” I pray that its beautiful and haunting melody helps you meditate on God’s promises.

Thanks for tuning in to the Modern Psalmist Podcast for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Check the show notes for links to all the featured songs from this episode.

Until next week, may God bless you abundantly.