The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to move to restore relationships by representing our love in actions that recognize and support the needs of those from whom we have become estranged.
The Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel describes the Slaughter of the Idolaters
* [9:4] Ezekiel emphasizes personal accountability; the innocent inhabitants of Jerusalem are spared while the idolatrous are punished. An X: lit., the Hebrew letter taw.(Ezekiel, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
* [10:15–19] The throne represents God’s presence as ruler and protector of the land. In chap. 1, God is revealed as the lord of the world who can appear even in a far-off land; here God is about to abandon the Temple, that is, hand the city over to its enemies. God and the throne return again in 43:1–3.
* [10:20–22] The repetition of description from the preceding verses is a device intended to suggest the rapid, constantly changing motion of the vision and the difficulty of describing the divine in human language.(Ezekiel, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 113 proclaims God is present in the world.
* [Psalm 113] A hymn exhorting the congregation to praise God’s name, i.e., the way in which God is present in the world; the name is mentioned three times in Ps 113:1–3. The divine name is especially honored in the Temple (Ps 113:1) but its recognition is not limited by time (Ps 113:2) and space (Ps 113:3), for God is everywhere active (Ps 113:4–5) especially in rescuing the lowly faithful (Ps 113:7–9).(Psalms, PSALM 113 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents how to deal with A Brother 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.
* [18:15] Your brother: a fellow disciple; see Mt 23:8. The bracketed words, against you, are widely attested but they are not in the important codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus or in some other textual witnesses. Their omission broadens the type of sin in question. Won over: literally, “gained.”
* [18:17] The church: the second of the only two instances of this word in the gospels; see note on Mt 16:18. Here it refers not to the entire church of Jesus, as in Mt 16:18, but to the local congregation. Treat him…a Gentile or a tax collector: just as the observant Jew avoided the company of Gentiles and tax collectors, so must the congregation of Christian disciples separate itself from the arrogantly sinful member who refuses to repent even when convicted of his sin by the whole church. Such a one is to be set outside the fellowship of the community. The harsh language about Gentile and tax collector probably reflects a stage of the Matthean church when it was principally composed of Jewish Christians. That time had long since passed, but the principle of exclusion for such a sinner remained. Paul makes a similar demand for excommunication in 1 Cor 5:1–13.
* [18:18] Except for the plural of the verbs bind and loose, this verse is practically identical with Mt 16:19b and many scholars understand it as granting to all the disciples what was previously given to Peter alone. For a different view, based on the different contexts of the two verses, see note on Mt 16:19.
* [18:19–20] Some take these verses as applying to prayer on the occasion of the church’s gathering to deal with the sinner of Mt 18:17. Unless an a fortiori argument is supposed, this seems unlikely. God’s answer to the prayer of two or three envisages a different situation from one that involves the entire congregation. In addition, the object of this prayer is expressed in most general terms as anything for which they are to pray.
* [18:20] For where two or three…midst of them: the presence of Jesus guarantees the efficacy of the prayer. This saying is similar to one attributed to a rabbi executed in A.D. 135 at the time of the second Jewish revolt: “…When two sit and there are between them the words of the Torah, the divine presence (Shekinah) rests upon them” (Pirqê ’Abôt 3, 3). (Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
Michele Bogard is not surprised that the students she works with avoid conflict like the plague.
How we experience people is so critical in our relationship with God. One of my favorite quotes is by St. Ignatius. “Love ought to show itself in deeds more than words”. (I’m writing this reflection on the feast of St. Ignatius – a special day for someone who has worked at a Jesuit school for a quarter of a century). Today’s Gospel reminds us that we do not stop trying to be in communion with one another. We forgive. If we don’t heal that relationship, we try again. We enlist assistance. We have patience in those interactions and keep doing the work to support one another in our journeys.
So, for me that means having awkward conversations. It means helping students lean into that tension and calling people into dialogue. It means not avoiding the situation or amplifying it on social media. It means listening through all the noise nowadays.
How do you show God’s love to one another especially when you are wronged? How do you show that love in deeds? (Bogard, 2026)
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.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Ezekiel, the six meet who will write a Hebrew tau like an “x” on the forehead of those unfaithful to the Law of Moses. In Revelation, the tau is Greek, like a cross. Ezekiel realizes that the very holiness of God has departed from the Temple until it is rebuilt. One resolves a difficulty in the community in a procedure that is explained in the Gospel. The unresolved action results in excommunication. It is intended to recognize that actions and words have separated one from the community. The power of binding and losing is recognized by the rabbi and later applied to Reconciliation. Friar Jude implores us to seek to pray as an act of community and reconciliation and an action of love and bonding together.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20 comments that the process Jesus describes in this reading is more than just a formula or a set of steps; it reveals his desire that we do everything we can to bring about unity and reconciliation—and his readiness to help us.
Take some time in prayer today asking God to reveal to you just one of your relationships that is lacking in unity. Then ask the Holy Spirit to give you the wisdom to try to work toward repairing it. Trust that Jesus will be in your midst as you do. Even when things are hard and our relationships are not at peace—especially then—Jesus promises to be present: with his grace, with his wisdom, with his love. You don’t have to have it all together in order for him to make his presence known. This is a promise we can hold on to!
“Lord, help me to remember you are always with me, especially in difficult relationships. Give me the grace of unity and reconciliation.”(Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20, n.d.)
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Clare of Assisi who provided spiritual counsel to Bohemian princess Agnes of Prague. She recommends praying before images of the cross: Franciscan friar and author Dan Riley (1943–2024) reflects on Clare’s second letter to Agnes and describes this experiential form of prayer as “Franciscan Lectio”.
For Clare, Francis, and their followers, what we call “Lectio” always moves toward actio—the loving and healing action, the merciful movement toward justice. This is spherical in nature, out from the Crucified One in Christ, before whom you and I sit. She brings us into this sphere of love, around the axle—the primal tree.…
St. Bonaventure points to us a certain way of prioritizing “coming to know,” which involves placing ourselves in a place where we might learn more than to know…. In other words, this kind of knowing causes wonder to rise up from our hearts instead of dualism or certainty from our minds. To learn is to enter activity, even if it is dark or unclear or veiled or obscured. You and I journey in trust before the crucifix, a mirror for our lives. We come with our questions. We can be honest and real. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the Spirit to enkindle in our heart the Love of God that opens the path through which we move to repair relationships that have been damaged in family and community.
References
Bogard, M. (2026, August 12). Daily Reflection August 12, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-12-2026
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/10?
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/9?
Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?
Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/12/1644269/
Psalms, PSALM 113 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/113?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Sacred Reading: A Pathway to Connectivity. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/sacred-reading-a-pathway-to-connectivity/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). If Your Brother Sins against You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 12, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
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