Today's readings focus on the Christian responsibility to help others make good decisions, but they each highlight this idea in different ways.
The first reading, being true to most Old Testament readings, suggests that we will be punished if we do not show people the error of their ways. However, if we do warn the wrong-doer, then we don't need to worry about being punished. To me, this illustrates why we needed a New Testament in the first place. Many of the Old Testament readings, no doubt appropriate for their time, create selfish reasons (such as avoiding punishment) for doing what is right. In this reading, it would be easy for people to say "Well, I warned you" and walk away from the situation, feeling satisfied that their duty was done. The Gospel reading takes the Old Testament reading and adds another step. It's not enough to warn someone once, but if they don't listen, you need to bring other witnesses to help. Only if that doesn't work, should you let the person go down the path that they chose. For me, the second reading is where the true message lies: we are to love our neighbors. We aren't to stop them from doing evil because it's part of our religion or out of fear of punishment, we should do so because we love them and want what is best for them. I believe that this is the heart of Christ's message. I think of it like the classic simile of a person standing on railroad tracks as a train is approaching. We shouldn't turn away and hope that person knows what's going on and what to do. At the least, we should warn them, not because we might get in trouble if we don't, but because we want that person to live. As Christians, we know the path to eternal life. Society tells us that we need to keep this to ourselves (see "religion is like a pair or shoes" or, more vulgarly, "like a penis"), but there is train coming on these tracks, how can we just stand by while someone is dancing on them? We proselytize out of love and a desire to see everyone live.
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