Sometimes Conflict Can Bring Peace, Understanding, and Growth, We Must Harden not Our Hearts!
This week and the mass readings are all about conflict! We sure had some of that this week. Our old priest must have realized we do not go to his church anymore. We haven't now for 5+ months. We went to that church for 2+ years, but they were not welcoming or loving, we would see that same priest at the gym, he would completely ignore you and avoid you, have nothing to do with us. You could walk right by him and say hello father and he would ignore you. Anyway, we found a more loving church closer to our home and that priest was much more loving and kind, looking at us in the eyes, shaking our hand, inviting us to his home, so we stayed at that church and never went back to the old unwelcoming church. We still would see the old priest at our gym, but he still never bothered with us or look at us. We just went about our business and did our workout, he was just indifferent and in his own world, not like any priest we had ever met before. We just figured he was uncomfortable with us, had some insecurity problems, or was wrestling with his own demons and that is why he ignored us and never bothered to interact with us. We just left it at that, however, this past week he approached us, and asked if we were still at his church, we said no we switched to another church. It was somewhat heated, I just said we were at peace at our new church, a loving church, and that some priest like Jesus said are hypocrites and do not practice what they preach. We ask he pray for us and we would pray for him. What else can you do? We are peaceful people and do not want conflict. It was clear that we were not welcomed at the old church and we were now happy with the new one and just trying to make the best of it. If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts! I just felt Jesus saying I told off those pharisees and Sanhedrin, so do not feel that bad, I had to rebuke them too. Jesus is supposed to be our example, and in this case I tried to use Him. We love all people, forgive them and just want to move on, the old priest may have reason why he was stand-offish with us and never welcoming, he has his own insecurities. Like Don Bosco dealt with in his town, he had to wait, love them, and let them know he loves them and they need to change. Hopefully, this will help this priest change to be more loving and inclusive of all his flock before he loses some of them. This is my reconciliation and I ask God to forgive me if I had to be honest and truthful as to why we switched churches. My spouse did not want to go to church this week due to this incident, nonetheless he watched it online and still prays, I hope he will still continue with his faith even if a priest chases us away or is not welcoming in his church. At least there are other churches and priests, sometimes you just have to find the right one. We want to bind peace and love and go to Heaven to spend eternity with Jesus, doing the best we can and alleviating as much conflict as possible showing love the best we can. It is not always easy, we just try to make the best of it. We all have a time to grow and change and some just take longer than others, sometimes conflict helps people to grow and become better people too. Quilt, shame, rudeness, we felt all, we felt it was rude for 2+ years of being dismissed and avoided in church or at the gym by our priest, but we are over it, we are at peace in our new church. We follows God's commandments, the teachings of Jesus, and try to be people of goodwill. We need to be truthful, sometimes it hurts, but it is better to be brutally honest. We forgive and forget and move on, praying for others and praying our world becomes more loving and welcoming of all people and a world of peace here like in Heaven. I know Jesus is still among us.
Ezekiel 33:7-9
Thus says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die, "
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But 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.
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Romans 13:8-10
Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, "
and 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.
2 Corinthians 5:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Mt 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that 'every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
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