Exiit qui seminat “The sower goes out to sow ”

"My job is to inform, not to convince." ~ St. Bernadette Soubirous. Our first reading this Sunday comes from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel writes during the time of the 2nd wave of the Babylonian exile, not just to admonish the inhabitants of Judah for their lack of faithfulness to God, but also to strengthen them in the fact that one day they will return home and the nation of Judah will be restored. In these verses from the 33rd chapter, God reminds Ezekiel the importance of speaking the truth, of warning the wicked of their wickedness. If Ezekiel fails to speak, not only will the person die for his transgressions, Ezekiel will be responsible for the death of the "wicked one". Being on the receiving end of the truth, being confronted with the hard things that we need to hear is not easy. Far beyond making a honest mistake, no one wants to be wrong or be called out on the times that we choose our will and our desires as more important than God's will and plan for us. It's even tougher to communicate the truth to others. The majority of us (ESPECIALLY myself) try extremely hard to avoid confrontation.  There is an uncomfortableness to the truth and while it is necessary to correct others, the fear is that the message and the intention behind it will be misconstrued and force people away. But the most loving thing is to speak the truth - to be honest with a combination of firmness and charity.  To do otherwise only makes the situation more difficult.  If we were on fire and somehow didn't know it, I don't think any of us would want someone to pass by and neglect to tell us that we were burning. Also, if we speak the truth in charity and love and express it in the best way possible, it is not up to us whether or not others listen and take what is said taken to heart. It is our prayer that it all falls out that way, but God has given us all free will and have the choice to either accept the truth and change or reject the truth and remain in error. This attitude of love, of proclaim the truth, is all the more important in the world in which we live. The concept of "truth" in our society is more than subjective or relative. We are now licensed and have the ability to create our own "truth" regardless of whether it synchs with reality, as well as the natural and the divine law. Let us pray that our stoney and stubborn hearts may be replaced with hearts open and disposed to the will of God. Let us have the courage to receive the hard truths spoken to us with a desire to grow in greater love of Christ and His Church and let us have the courage to speak that truth out of love to our brothers and sisters that need to hear it the most.

Fr Rob