Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, we see the passion and persistence with which Jesus calls to bring our brothers and sisters into right relationship with us as individuals, with the community, and thus with God. Jesus first tells us, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” We begin by approaching them one-on-one because we do not want to expose them to shame. We want them to see their faults and more importantly that our love, inspired by the love of Jesus, is the reason we are coming to them. If they can see this love we might win them over and bring them back into the body of Christ. But at times they do not listen, and then we are called to step it up and bring a couple more to testify to our concern and love for them; “for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”
If this doesn’t work we can go to our priest, as representative of the Church, for advice and counsel. We can encourage our brother or sister who has sinned against us to seek the priest because the priest, in the image of Christ, can help lead them out of the ways of darkness and into the light of Christ. And while we are encouraging them, we pray for them, for Jesus says, “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.”
Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections