The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to reconcile differences we have with others, especially those close to us in our community.
In the reading from Ezekiel, the Prophet is called as a sentinel for the house of Israel.
* [33:2] Sentinel: the theme of the sentinel’s duty initiates a new commission to announce salvation (chaps. 33–48), just as the same command (3:17–21) opened Ezekiel’s ministry to announce judgment (chaps. 3–24). (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 33 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 95 is a call to Worship and Obedience.
* [Psalm 95] Twice the Psalm calls the people to praise and worship God (Ps 95:1–2, 6), the king of all creatures (Ps 95:3–5) and shepherd of the flock (Ps 95:7a, 7b). The last strophe warns the people to be more faithful than were their ancestors in the journey to the promised land (Ps 95:7c–11). This invitation to praise God regularly opens the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours. (Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans exhorts love for one another.
* [13:8–10] When love directs the Christian’s moral decisions, the interest of law in basic concerns, such as familial relationships, sanctity of life, and security of property, is safeguarded (Rom 13:9). Indeed, says Paul, the same applies to any other commandment (Rom 13:9), whether one in the Mosaic code or one drawn up by local magistrates under imperial authority. Love anticipates the purpose of public legislation, namely, to secure the best interests of the citizenry. Since Caesar’s obligation is to punish the wrongdoer (Rom 13:4), the Christian who acts in love is free from all legitimate indictment. (Romans, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew addresses reproving another who sins.
* [18:15–20] Passing from the duty of Christian disciples toward those who have strayed from their number, the discourse now turns to how they are to deal with one who sins and yet remains within the community. First there is to be private correction (Mt 18:15); if this is unsuccessful, further correction before two or three witnesses (Mt 18:16); if this fails, the matter is to be brought before the assembled community (the church), and if the sinner refuses to attend to the correction of the church, he is to be expelled (Mt 18:17). The church’s judgment will be ratified in heaven, i.e., by God (Mt 18:18). This three-step process of correction corresponds, though not exactly, to the procedure of the Qumran community; see 1QS 5:25–6:1; 6:24–7:25; CD 9:2–8. The section ends with a saying about the favorable response of God to prayer, even to that of a very small number, for Jesus is in the midst of any gathering of his disciples, however small (Mt 18:19–20). Whether this prayer has anything to do with the preceding judgment is uncertain. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mary Lee Brock comments that experiencing conflict can be such a lonely experience, but Jesus reminds us that we do not need to face the challenge alone as he is with us. He tells the disciples: “Again, amen, I say to you, 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. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Today let us ask God for the courage and clarity to serve as a watchman. Let us ask for the grace to view our neighbors with empathy and compassion. Let us listen carefully for the voice of God with open hearts. May we ask God for the gift of self-love so we can generously share that love with others, especially with those we find difficult to love.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (Brock, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “If someone has done you injury,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD).
"If someone has done you injury and you have suffered, what should be done? You have heard the answer already in today's scripture: 'If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.' If you fail to do so, you are worse than he is. He has done someone harm, and by doing harm he has stricken himself with a grievous wound. Will you then completely disregard your brother's wound? Will you simply watch him stumble and fall down? Will you disregard his predicament? If so, you are worse in your silence than he in his abuse. Therefore, when any one sins against us, let us take great care, but not merely for ourselves. For it is a glorious thing to forget injuries. Just set aside your own injury, but do not neglect your brother's wound. Therefore 'go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone,' intent upon his amendment but sparing his sense of shame. For it might happen that through defensiveness he will begin to justify his sin, and so you will have inadvertently nudged him still closer toward the very behavior you desire to amend. Therefore 'tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother,' because he might have been lost, had you not spoken with him. " (excerpt from Sermon 82.7) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20 comments that while most of us aren’t priests who hear confessions, we are all called to forgive. Jesus wants us to understand that both our forgiveness and our failure to forgive have an effect on people. By our words and the thoughts in our hearts, we can keep someone bound in condemnation or judgment. But we can also “loose” them by forgiving them. And forgiveness always releases people from the chains of guilt or shame. This means that we can help them experience the freedom that Jesus wants for them. We can continue his “ministry of reconciliation” in our corner of the world (2 Corinthians 5:18).
How amazing that Jesus trusts us to share in this sacred calling! He doesn’t want anyone to remain trapped in sin or in unforgiveness. He knows the danger that sin poses to our souls. That’s why he urges us to “cut off” and “throw away” anything in our lives that leads us astray (Matthew 18:8). That’s why he never stops seeking after his lost sheep (18:10-14). And that’s why he calls us to forgive “seventy-seven times . . . from [our] heart” (18:22, 35). Because as we forgive people who sin against us, we won’t just be freeing them. We’ll be “loosing” ourselves from those chains, too.
“Jesus, help me to forgive today.” (Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the conditions of the appointment of Ezekiel as watchman of Israel. Paul asserts that attending to our obligation to love one another contains all the commandments. Friar Jude reminds us that the passage from Matthew describes a corporate faith and not “You and me, Jesus” as we all share responsibility in the Church for each other.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers a foundational teaching on what it means to be “on the edge of the inside”. The biblical prophets, by definition, were seers and seekers of Eternal Mystery, which always seems dangerously new and heretical to old eyes and any current preoccupations with status and security. The Hebrew prophets lived on the edge of the inside of Judaism. John the Baptist later does the same with Temple Judaism, and Paul then sharply disagrees with Peter and the new Christian establishment in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1–14). Francis and Clare continued this classic pattern in their own hometown of Assisi as they physically moved from upper Assisi among the majores to the lower side of town and the minores. There they had nothing to prove or defend. It offered the most opportunities to have fresh and honest experience, and to find their True Center. [1]
If we look at some who have served the prophetic role in modern times, like Martin Luther King Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, Pope John XXIII, Simone Weil, and Óscar Romero, we will notice that they all held this exact position. They tended to be, each in their own way, orthodox, conservative, traditional clergy, intellectuals, or believers; but that truly authentic inner experience and membership allowed them to critique utterly the exact systems of which they were a part. We might say that their enlightened actions clarify what our mere belief systems really mean. These prophets critiqued Christianity by the very values that they learned from Christianity. [4] (Rohr, 2023)
When we experience division in our community, we seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to reconcile our differences and move toward love and support.
References
Brock, M. L. (2023, September 10). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/091023.html
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/33?7
Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?15
Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/10/778818/
Psalms, PSALM 95 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/95?1
Rohr, R. (2023, September 10). The True Center — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-true-center-2023-09-10/
Romans, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/13?8
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep10
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