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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time


During these summer months, the weekly reflection from the pastor will be replaced by reflections from other sources.

If you grew up in a family with another sibling, it is likely that at some point you or a brother or sister went to mom or dad and said something like, "Tell [put your sibling's name here] to share [toy, cake, cookie, TV – fill in the blank]." We've all done it, even if we're an only child and used the line on a school teacher or aunt or uncle when playing with a cousin. Most of us have an innate sense of fairness and justice. We want to be treated equitably. We grow up with aphorisms like "Fair is fair," "Take turns," and "Play by the rules." We appeal to authority (Mom, Dad, teacher, referee, judge) when we think we're being taken advantage of. Our expectation is that justice will prevail.

Civil trials often involve that quest for justice. An aggrieved party seeks an equitable outcome through a judgment against an offender. But justice alone does not guarantee solace. How many times have we heard in the news about a plaintiff who explains that it was not the court judgment that brought peace and resolution. Inevitably, they explain how they have found peace when they were able to bring themselves to forgive the offender. Many describe how the anger or pain in their hearts continued to interfere with their lives until they could put it aside by being reconciled.

The words of Jesus in the Gospel that "one's life does not consist of possessions" reflect this understanding. While compensatory and punitive damages help relieve an injustice, they do not resolve a situation completely. Only movement toward forgiveness and reconciliation can bring that about. It is not easy to do that, but our Christian experience acknowledges that it can be done, even if it takes years to accomplish. The hope is that we will be "rich in what matters to God" (Lk 12:21).

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