Word-Sunday.com
by Larry Broding

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FIRST READING
The call of the watchman
What “callings” do you hear? How do they differ from each other?
PSALM
Praise with a catch
Have you ever been in prayer, only to be upset when you were disturbed? Why were you so upset?
SECOND READING
In public
How are Christians to act in public? What happens when Christians cause scandal?
GOSPEL
Reconciling with other Christians
When others hurt you, do you confront them, reconcile with them, or just ignore them? Which way is the most effective? Which way is the most moral?
Doctrinal Homily Outlines
by Kevin Aldrich
If your brother sins against you
Central idea: Admonishing the sinner
Doctrine: Fraternal correction
Practical application: How to give fraternal correction
Living the Word
by Fr. Frank Bird, sm
This Sunday’s Discussion Guide
(PDF Download)
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First Reading
Thus says the LORD: "You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me." — Ezekiel 33:7
The Catholic Watchman is a men's ministry launched in 2016 in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It's mission (watch inspiring 1 minute video) is for Catholic men to live up to their duty to be protectors, providers and leaders of their families. View Facebook page and article archive at The Catholic Spirit for more information.
Responsorial Psalm
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the rock of our salvation. — Psalm 95:1
Choirs push to resume in-person rehearsals - (VIDEO) Canadian choir directors want to be allowed to resume in-person rehearsals, saying it can be done safely with physical distancing and masks.
Second Reading
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. — Romans 13:9b-10
In today's second reading, St. Paul quotes what many consider the most famous verse in Leviticus, “Ve-ahavta le-re’acha ka-mocha” (Lev. 19:18). Seen above in traditional Hebrew lettering, it is translated, 'You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself'." Source: Etsy.com
Gospel
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. — Matthew 18:15
There is no better example of how sin is confronted with the love of Jesus Christ than Pope St. John Paul II's visit to the jail where the man who shot him in 1981 was imprisoned. Following the shooting, the pope asked people to “pray for my brother…whom I have sincerely forgiven”. St. John Paul confronted sin face to face in 1983 when he forgave his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca. Rev. Anthony Ligato in his reflection, Confront sin with love of Jesus, states, "It would have been so easy for St. John Paul to harden his heart, but Christ's own sacred heart, which is the fullness of reconciling love, had filled it long before, so the pope could forgive."
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Thus says the LORD: "You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me." — Ezekiel 33:7
First Reading
Ezekiel 33:7-9
The watchman of Israel
In the First Reading, God tells the prophet/priest Ezekiel that he will be held accountable for the souls of the covenant people who are sinners if he fails to speak out against their bad behavior and to call them to repentance. It is the same obligation of the ministerial priesthood today. As Jesus’ representatives, they must teach the New Covenant people of God about the dangers of sin, the rewards of righteousness, and the covenant obligations the people have accepted as baptized and confirmed members of Jesus’ Kingdom of the Church.
Exploring the Text
PHOTO CREDIT (TOP OF PAGE): The Catholic Watchman is a men's ministry launched in 2016 in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It's mission (watch inspiring 1 minute video) is for Catholic men to live up to their duty to be protectors, providers and leaders of their families. View Facebook page and article archive at The Catholic Spirit for more information.
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Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the rock of our salvation. — Psalm 95:1
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
A call to praise and obedience
God continually calls every generation to act according to the refrain we sing in the Responsorial Psalm: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” In the psalm, we hear the voice of God speaking to His people “today,” warning them not to fall into the sin of rebellion like the Israelites of the Exodus generation. The Israelites of that first generation swore obedience to God in the sacramental bond of the Sinai Covenant. However, they failed to trust God, preferring their desires and plans over God’s divine plan for His people.
Members of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus are guilty of the same sin of rebellion when they act according to their understanding and not in obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ and His Church. The result is that they separate themselves from fellowship with the Lord and covenant unity with His Church. They will have to face the consequences of their rebellion, like the members of the Exodus generation who did not live to see the Promised Land (except for faithful Joshua and Caleb).
Exploring the Text
PHOTO CREDIT (TOP OF PAGE): Choirs push to resume in-person rehearsals - (VIDEO) Canadian choir directors want to be allowed to resume in-person rehearsals, saying it can be done safely with physical distancing and masks.
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You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. — Romans 13:9b-10
Second Reading
Romans 13:8-10
Love fulfills the Law
In the Second Reading, after St. Paul described God’s redemptive works in Christ in his letter to the Roman Christians, he defines what should be the human response to God’s love. The answer, Paul writes, is to: Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice to God.
Paul reminds the Roman Christians and us not to conform to the norms of a sinful world. Instead, Christians must be transformed by living in the image of Christ as His witnesses of hope and faith to a world lost in sin. When worshiping in His Divine Presence, we must prepare ourselves by being cleansed of all sin (mortal sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and venial sins in the Penitential Rite). We present ourselves to Him with purified souls so that, as we walk forward in the Eucharistic procession, we come prepared to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God just as Jesus offers His sinless life to us in the Eucharist.
Exploring the Text
PHOTO CREDIT (TOP OF PAGE): In today's second reading, St. Paul quotes what many consider the most famous verse in Leviticus, “Ve-ahavta le-re’acha ka-mocha” (Lev. 19:18). Seen above in traditional Hebrew lettering, it is translated, 'You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself'." Source: Etsy.com
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If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. — Matthew 18:15
Gospel Reading
Matthew 18:15-20
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Conduct toward a brother or sister who sins
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus addresses the subject of covenant members engaged in sin but remaining in the fellowship of the faith community. Jesus gives four steps are we to follow when a “brother” or “sister” has fallen into error to bring them to repentance and renew their fellowship with God and the community. He also affirms the Church’s authority to “bind” and “loose” in judging sin.
In the sixth century B.C., God established the priestly prophet Ezekiel as the “watchman” over the “house of Israel,” and Jesus established His Apostles and disciples and their successors as guardians of the salvation of the “new Israel” that is His Church. As this generation’s disciples of the Lord, we must bravely take up the obligation to safeguard the teachings of Jesus Christ within the covenant family of His Kingdom of the Church. Jesus calls us to offer correction in brotherly love by judging sin to keep from having wrongs tolerated and corrupting the community of the faithful. However, we do not have the authority to judge the soul of the sinner; to judge the condition of one’s soul is a prerogative that belongs only to God.
We will all be held accountable for our misdeeds, but those in positions of responsibility as shepherds of the flock of God’s covenant people will also face divine judgment if they fail to minister to God’s covenant children with mercy, justice, and truth in sharing the Gospel of salvation. It is spiritually healthy to recall God’s two warnings to the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:17-18 repeated in 33:7-9: “When you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn them for me. If I say to someone wicked, ‘You will die,’ and you do not warn this person or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live; that wicked person will die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death” (Ezekiel 3:17-18). Like the warning to His prophet Ezekiel, God will also hold the New Covenant priesthood accountable for any sins they fail to address as the guardians of the salvation of the new Israel of the Church. However, this is not an easy task. Priests are often harshly criticized for speaking out to their congregations on the hard topics of divorce, abortion, contraception, and premarital sex. If you have a priest who fearlessly preaches against sin, give him your support, and tell him he is a faithful guardian of the people of God.
Exploring the Text
PHOTO CREDIT (TOP OF PAGE): There is no better example of how sin is confronted with the love of Jesus Christ than Pope St. John Paul II's visit to the jail where the man who shot him in 1981 was imprisoned. Following the shooting, the pope asked people to “pray for my brother…whom I have sincerely forgiven”. St. John Paul confronted sin face to face in 1983 when he forgave his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca. Rev. Anthony Ligato in his reflection, Confront sin with love of Jesus, states, "It would have been so easy for St. John Paul to harden his heart, but Christ's own sacred heart, which is the fullness of reconciling love, had filled it long before, so the pope could forgive."
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"I find it dangerous to have the Church playing God! We do not have a very good record of absolute wisdom in these matters. The Church has been wrong so many times in the past in trying to separate the good from the bad."
When the Church is wrong
Pastoral Connection
by Rev. Clement D. Thimbodeau
The Church will always be responsible for the deeds of its members. We answer to public opinion for the behaviors of all who call themselves Catholic. The world holds us responsible, whether or not we want to be held responsible. We are blamed for the evil that our brothers and sisters do in this world.
When I was younger, we used to recite the Marks of the Church: one, holy, catholic and apostolic. The Church was holy because it possessed the means to make us holy (word and sacraments), and because it was possessed of holy people, the saints. We were proud of the saints: the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, our patron saints, etc. We were glad to be identified with them. We sort of basked in their glory! We thought that the world would consider us holy because we were part of a community in which there were saints!
Now, all of that has changed. We are charged with the sins, crimes,and misdemeanors of priests who have been unfaithful. We are tainted with the somber colors of collective guilt and of community mediocrity. Catholics are no better than the rest. Catholics, too, practice abortion. Catholics get divorced at the same rate as everyone else. Catholics commit murders. Christians hate their neighbor like everyone else. We, too, scream for vengeance in capital punishments.
Some bishops proclaim excommunications against those who disagree with them on matters of doctrine and of Church policy. They believe that it is better to cleanse the Church community of those who bring us a bad name. We try to rid ourselves of the bad apples among us in this way. (Some have suggested that these same bishops should also excommunicate those who discriminate against women and other minorities; those who support capital punishment; those who oppress the poor, etc.!)
Our parishes will always have a proper mixture of the good and the bad! It is up to the Lord to separate and to exclude. I find it dangerous to have the Church playing God! We do not have a very good record of absolute wisdom in these matters. The Church has been wrong so many times in the past in trying to separate the good from the bad. It should have learned its lesson.
ECHOING GOD’S WORD – © 2017 Rev. Clement D. Thimbodeau (1932-2017); Used with permission.
PHOTO CREDIT (TOP OF PAGE): Galileo and the Cardinals, by Jean-Leon Huens (1921 – 1982)
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Faith Sharing
Questions
Opening Prayer
Jesus, reconciling life’s hurts is one of the toughest parts of your teaching. Help me to grow in this area, to develop my ability and willingness to bring healing to a broken or wounded relationship. Amen.
Questions
Three sets of questions suitable for individual or group use. Choose one to best fit your purpose and time restraints: Faith Sharing Questions (by Fr. Eamon Tobin), Discussion Questions (by Fr. Clement D. Thibodeau), and Scripture Study Questions (by Vince Contreras).
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, during your time on earth, you found yourself in several sticky situations. You modeled for us the power to speak up when we should.But sometimes it may be better not to speak. May your Holy Spirit be with us to help us to know when to speak up and when to be quiet.Mother Mary, un-doer of knots, pray for us. Amen.
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The Catena Aurea
Saint Thomas Aquinas
The Catena Aurea (or, Golden Chain) is a compilation of Patristic commentary on the Gospels and contains passages from the Church Fathers. In this masterpiece, Aquinas seamlessly weaves together extracts from various Fathers to provide a complete commentary on all four Gospels.
Click on banner above to show/hide an annotated list of the Church Fathers that Aquinas compiled in his multi-volume commentary of the Gospels.
Matthew 18:15-17
15. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church: but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a Publican.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lx.) Having above given a severe sentence against those who were the cause of offence, making them to fear on all sides; so now that they to whom the offence is offered should not fall into the opposite fault of supineness and indifference, seeking to spare themselves in all things, and so be puffed up; the Lord here checks such a tendency, commanding that they be reproved, saying, If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go, tell him his fault between thee and him alone.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. 82. 1.) Our Lord admonishes us not to overlook one another’s faults, yet not so as seeking for matter of blame, but watching what you may amend. For our rebuke should be in love, not eager to wound, but anxious to amend. If you pass it by, you are become worse than he. He by doing you a wrong hath done himself a great hurt; you slight your brother’s wound, and are more to blame for your silence than he for his ill words to you.
AUGUSTINE. (de Civ. Dei, i. 9.) For often we wrongly shun to teach and admonish, or to rebuke and check the wicked, either because the task is irksome, or because we would escape their enmity, lest they should harm or obstruct us in temporal things, whether in gaining objects we desire, or in holding what our frailty fears to love. But if any one spares reproof of evil doers, because he seeks fitter occasion, or fears to make them worse, or that they may be an impediment to the good and pious living of other weak ones, or may grieve them, or turn them from the faith; herein there is seen no considerations of covetousness, but the prudence of charity. And much weightier reason have they who are set over the churches, to the end they should not spare to rebuke sin; though not even he is free from this blame, who, though not in authority, wots of many things in them to whom he is bound by the ties of this life, which should be touched by admonition or correction, but neglects to do so; shunning their displeasure on account of things which he does not unduly use in this life, but wherewith he is unduly delighted.
CHRYSOSTOM. It is to be noted, that onewhile the Lord brings the offender to him whom he has offended; as when he says, If thou remember that thy brother has might against thee, go, be reconciled to thy brother: (Mat. 5:23.) otherwhiles He bids him that has suffered the wrong to forgive his neighbour; as where he says, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. (Mat. 6:12.) Here He has devised yet another method, for He brings him who has been grieved to him that grieved him, and therefore says, If thy brother sin against thee; for because he that did the wrong would not readily come to make amends, because of his shame, He draws to him him that has suffered the wrong; and not only draws him there, but with the very purpose of correcting what was done amiss; whence He says, Go and tell hint his fault.
RABANUS. He does not command us to forgive indiscriminately, but him only that will hearken and be obedient, and do penitence; that neither should forgiveness be unattainable, nor sufferance be too far relaxed.
CHRYSOSTOM. And He says not, Accuse him, nor, Chide with him, nor, Demand redress,—but, Tell him of his fault; that is, remind him of his sin, tell him what things you have suffered from him. For he is held down by anger or by shame, stupefied as one in a deep slumber. Wherefore it behoves you who are in your right senses to go to him who is in a disease.
JEROME. If then your brother have sinned against you, or hurt you in any matter, you have power, indeed must needs forgive him, for we are charged to forgive our debtors their debts. But if a man sin against God, it is no longer in our decision. But we do all tho contrary of this; where God is wronged we are merciful, where the affront is to ourselves we prosecute the quarrel.
CHRYSOSTOM. We are to tell his fault to the man himself who did it, and not to another, because the party takes it with the more patience from him, and above all when they are together alone. For when he who had a right to demand reparation, shews rather a carefulness to heal the sore, this has great power to propitiate.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. 82, 7.) When any one therefore offends against us, let us be very careful, not for ourselves, for it is glorious to forget an injury; forget therefore your own wrong, but not the wound your brother has sustained; and tell him of his fault between him and you alone, seeking his amendment and sparing his shame. For it may be that out of shame he will seek to defend his fault, and thus you will only harden, while you sought to do him good.
JEROME. Thy brother is to be reproved in private, lest if once he has lost a sense of shame, he should continue in sin.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) But the Apostle says, Them that sin ‘rebuke before all, that others may fear to do the like. (1 Tim 5:20.) Sometimes therefore your brother is to be spoken to between thee and him alone, sometimes to be rebuked before all. What you must do first, attend and learn; If thy brother, says He, sin against thee, tell him of his fault between thee and him alone. Why? Because he has sinned against you? What is it that he has sinned against you? You know that he has sinned, and therefore since his sin was in private, let your rebuke be in private too. For if you alone know of his trespass, and proceed to rebuke him before all, you do not correct but betray him. Your brother has sinned against you; if you alone know thereof, then he has sinned against you only; but if he did you a wrong in the presence of many, then he has sinned against those also who were witnesses of his fault. Those faults then are to be rebuked before all, that are committed before all; those which are done in private, are to be rebuked in private. Discern times, and the Scriptures are consistent. But why do you correct your neighbour? Because his trespass has hurt yourself? Far be it from thee. If you do it from self-love, you do nought; if you do it from love of him, you do most rightly. Lastly, in what you shall say to him, keep in view for whose sake it is that you ought to do it, for your own or for his, for it follows, If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother; do it therefore for his sake, that you may gain him. And do you confess that by your sin against man you were lost; for if you were not lost, how has he gained you? Let none then make light of it when he sins against his brother.
CHRYSOSTOM. In this it is made plain that enmities are a loss to both sides; for he said not, he has gained himself, but, you have gained him; which shews that both of you had suffered loss by your disagreement.
JEROME. For in saving another, salvation is gained for ourselves also. Chrys What you should do if he does not yield is added, If he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two. For the more shameless and stubborn he shews himself, the more studious should we be of applying the medicine, and not turn to wrath and hate. As the physician, if he see that the disease does not abate, he does not slack, but redoubles his efforts to heal. And observe how this reproof is not for revenge, but for correction, seeing his command is not to take two with him at first, but when he would not amend; and even then he does not send a multitude to him, but one or two, alleging the law, That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. (Deut. 19:15.) This is that you may have witnesses that you have done all your part.
JEROME. Or it is to be understood in this way; If he will not hear thee, take with thee one brother only; if he yet will not hear, take a third, either from your zeal for his amendment, that shame or admonition may move him; or for the purpose of meeting before witnesses.
GLOSS. (ap. Anselm.) Or, that if he affirm that it is no trespass, that they may prove to him that it is a trespass.
JEROME. If yet he will not hear them, then it must be told to many, that he may be held in abhorrence; so that he who could not be saved by his own sense of shame, may be saved by public disgrace; whence it follows, If he will not hear them, tell it to the Church.
CHRYSOSTOM. That is, to those that are over the Church.
GLOSS. (ap. Anselm.) Or, tell it to the whole Church, that his infamy may be the greater. After all these things follows excommunication, which ought to be inflicted by the mouth of the Church, that is, by the Priest, and when he excommunicates, the whole Church works with him; as it follows, And if he will not hear the Church, let him by unto thee as an heathen, and a publican.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. 82, 7.) That is, regard him no longer in the number of thy brethren. Though even thus we are not to neglect his salvation; for the heathens themselves, that is, the gentiles and pagans, we do not indeed regard in the number of our brethren, yet we ever seek their salvation.
CHRYSOSTOM. Yet the Lord enjoins nothing of this sort to be observed towards those who are without the Church, such as He does in reproving a brother. Of those that are without He says. If any smite thee on the one cheek, offer to him the other also. (Mat. 5:39.) as Paul speaks, What have I to do to judge them that are without? (1 Cor. 5:12.) But brethren he bids us reprove, and turn away from.
JEROME. That He says, As a heathen and a publican, shews that he is to be more abhorred, who under the name of a believer does the deeds of an unbeliever, than those that are openly gentiles. Those He calls publicans, who pursue worldly gain, and levy contributions by trading, cheating, and villainous frauds, and perjuries.
ORIGEN. Let us look well whether this precept extends to all sin; for what if any one sin any of those sins which are unto death, such as unnatural crimes, adultery, homicide, or effeminacy, it cannot be meant that such as these are to be admonished privately, and if he hear you, forthwith to say that you have gained him. And not rather first put him out of the Church, or only when remaining obstinate after monition before witnesses, and by the Church? One man, looking at the infinite mercy of Christ, will say, that since the words of Christ make no distinction of sins, it is to go against Christ’s mercy to limit His words only to little sins. Another, on the other hand, considering the words carefully, will aver, that they are not spoken of every sin; for that he that is guilty of those great sins is not a brother, but is called a brother, with whom, according to the Apostle, we ought not so much as to eat. But as they who expound this as referring to every sin give encouragement to the careless to sin; so, on the other hand, he, who teaches that one having sinned in little sins and such as are not deadly, is, when he has spurned the admonition of the witnesses and the Church, to be held as a heathen and a publican, seems to introduce too great severity. For whether he finally perishes, we are not able to decide. First, because he who has been thrice told of his fault and not hearkened, may hearken the fourth time; secondly, because sometimes a man does not receive according to his deeds, but beyond his trespass, which is good for him in this world; lastly, because He said not alone, Let him be as a heathen, but Let him be to thee. Whosoever then when reproved three times in a light trespass, does not amend, him we ought to hold for a heathen and a publican, avoiding him, that he may be brought to confusion. But whether he is esteemed of God also as a heathen and a publican, is not ours to decide, but is in the judgment of God.
18:18–20
18. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
JEROME. Because He had said, If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as a heathen, and a publican, whereupon the brother so contemned might answer, or think within himself, If you despise me, I also will despise you; if you condemn me, you shall be condemned by my sentence. He therefore confers powers upon the Apostles, that they may be assured that when any are condemned after this manner, the sentence of man is ratified by the sentence of God. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose upon the earth shall be loosed in heaven.
ORIGEN. He said not in the heavens (in cœlis), as when He spoke to Peter, but in heaven (in cœlo), for they are not yet attained to the like perfection with Peter.
HILARY. To hold out a great and terrible fear, by which all men should be reached in this present life, He pronounces that the judgment of the Apostles should be ratified, so that whosoever they bound on earth, i. e. left entangled in the noose of sin, and whosoever they loosed, i. e. accorded the pardon of God’s mercy to their salvation, that these should be bound and loosed in heaven.
CHRYSOSTOM. And be it noted, that He said not to the Primate1 of the Church, Bind such a man; but, If ye shall bind him, the bonds shall be indissoluble; leaving the other to his discretion. And see how He has set the incorrigible person under the yoke of a twofold necessity; to wit, the punishment that is here, namely, the casting forth out of the Church, when He said, Let him be to thee as a heathen; and the future punishment, saying, that he shall be bound in heaven; thus by the weight of his penalties lessening his brother’s wrath against him.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) Otherwise; When you begin to hold your brother as a publican you bind him on earth, but take heed that you bind him with just cause; for an unjust cause breaks rightful bonds. But when you have corrected him, and agreed with him, you have loosed him upon earth, and when you have loosed him upon earth, he shall be loosed also in heaven. You confer a great boon not on yourself, but on him, as he had done the hurt not to you but to himself.
GLOSS. (ap. Anselm.) But He holds out a ratification not only of sentences of excommunication, but of every petition which is offered by men holding together in the unity of the Church; for He adds, Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree upon earth, whether in admitting a penitent, or casting out a forward person, touching any thing which they shall ask, any thing, that is, that is not against the unity of the Church, it shall be done for them by my Father which is in heaven. By saying, which is in heaven, He points Him out as above all, and therefore able to fulfil all that shall be asked of Him. Or, He is in the heavens, that is, with saints, proof enough that whatever worthy thing they shall ask shall be done unto them, because they have with them Him of whom they ask. For this cause is the sentence of those that agree together ratified, because God dwells in them, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
CHRYSOSTOM. Or, because He had said, It shall be done unto them by My Father; therefore, to shew that He is the Giver together with His Father, He adds this, where two or three, &c.
ORIGEN. And He said not, I will be, but I am in the midst of them; because straightway, as soon as they have agreed together, Christ is found among them.
HILARY. For He who is peace and charity, will set His place and habitation in good and peaceable dispositions.
JEROME. Or otherwise; All His foregoing discourse had invited us to union; now to make us embrace peace more anxiously, He holds out a reward, promising to be in the midst of two or three.
CHRYSOSTOM. Yet He said not barely, Where they are gathered together, but added, in my name, as much as to say, If any man look upon Me as the chief motive of his love to his neighbour, I will be with him, though he is virtue be shewn towards other men. How is it then that those who thus agree together do not obtain what they ask for? First, because they ask things not expedient, and because they do not bring on their parts that which they ought to contribute; wherefore He says, If two of you, that is, who shew an evangelic conversation. Thirdly, because they pray seeking vengeance against those who have grieved them. And fourthly, because they seek mercy for sinners who have not repented.
ORIGEN. And this also is the reason why our prayers are not granted, because we do not agree together in all things upon earth, neither in doctrine, nor in conversation. For as in music, unless the voices are in time there is no pleasure to the hearer, so in the Church, unless they are united God is not. pleased therein, nor does He hear their words.
JEROME. (vid. Origen. in loc.) We may also understand this spiritually; where our spirit, soul, and body are in agreement, and have not within them conflicting wills, they shall obtain from My Father every thing they shall ask; for none can doubt that that demand is good, where the body wills the same thing as the spirit.
ORIGEN. Or, In whatever the two testaments are in agreement, for this every prayer is found acceptable to God.
SOURCE: eCatholic 2000
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Catechism Excerpts
Homiletic Directory
“By using the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the homilist can help his people integrate the word of God, the faith of the Church, the moral demands of the Gospel, and their personal and liturgical spirituality.” From the Homiletic Directory
CCC 2055: the Decalogue summed up in one command to love
CCC 1443-1445: reconciliation with the Church
CCC 2842-2845: “as we forgive those who trespass against us”
Reconciliation with the Church
1443 During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God’s forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God.44
1444 In imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church. This ecclesial dimension of their task is expressed most notably in Christ’s solemn words to Simon Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”45 “The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the apostles united to its head.”46
1445 The words bind and loose mean: whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God.
“As we forgive those who trespass against us”
2842 This “as” is not unique in Jesus’ teaching: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”; “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful”; “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”139 It is impossible to keep the Lord’s commandment by imitating the divine model from outside; there has to be a vital participation, coming from the depths of the heart, in the holiness and the mercy and the love of our God. Only the Spirit by whom we live can make “ours” the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.140 Then the unity of forgiveness becomes possible and we find ourselves “forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave” us.141
2843 Thus the Lord’s words on forgiveness, the love that loves to the end,142 become a living reality. The parable of the merciless servant, which crowns the Lord’s teaching on ecclesial communion, ends with these words: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”143 It is there, in fact, “in the depths of the heart,” that everything is bound and loosed. It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession.
2844 Christian prayer extends to the forgiveness of enemies,144 transfiguring the disciple by configuring him to his Master. Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to God’s compassion can receive the gift of prayer. Forgiveness also bears witness that, in our world, love is stronger than sin. The martyrs of yesterday and today bear this witness to Jesus. Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another.145
2845 There is no limit or measure to this essentially divine forgiveness,146 whether one speaks of “sins” as in Luke (11:4), “debts” as in Matthew (6:12). We are always debtors: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.”147 The communion of the Holy Trinity is the source and criterion of truth in every relationship. It is lived out in prayer, above all in the Eucharist.148
- God does not accept the sacrifice of a sower of disunion, but commands that he depart from the altar so that he may first be reconciled with his brother. For God can be appeased only by prayers that make peace. To God, the better offering is peace, brotherly concord, and a people made one in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.149
The Decalogue summed up in one command to love
2055 When someone asks him, “Which commandment in the Law is the greatest?”8 Jesus replies: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets.”9 The Decalogue must be interpreted in light of this twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law: