09/06/2026
From the Pastor’s Desk:
It is easy to say “it’s none of my business” when someone we know is going a wrong way. It is certainly their responsibility what they do, but there is a bigger picture here. There is the damage they do to themselves and the ongoing harm that they can cause to others that we begin to be responsible for. This is not a new concept. In the prophet Ezekiel we hear: If … 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. Jesus himself also instructs us to make others’ faults known to them so that they can change their ways, and he outlines in this week’s Gospel steps for this. We do have a responsibility to address the faults of others — but not to put them down, not to get the upper hand, not to prove how much better we are than they, not to punish — rather, to help to save them from further harm and to help to reduce the harm done to others. It, however, must be done with a motive of love. Love for those who could be hurt and, yes, love for the one doing the hurting (mindful of the negative effects to them and their soul due to their behavior). If we don’t see the responsibility of love for all parties concerned, to lovingly guide all parties involved to peace, we would be missing something important in what God its saying.
God Bless,
Fr. Steve
