[Prophets had the responsibility that we see Jesus give to the disciples and to the church in today’s Gospel: prophets were to teach people what is true and call people to fidelity. Today’s reading tells us that God has appointed Ezekiel as watchman, or sentry, for the house of Israel. Helped by God, the prophet must sound warnings, trying to persuade the wicked to change their ways.]
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name. If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.
[Love is the fulfilment of the whole law: if there is love, the details of the law become superfluous.]
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.
[all of ch. 18 in Matthew deals with Church life and order and how to handle community problems.. Today’s passage has to do with brotherly /sisterly correction. To be properly evaluated it needs to be read in the context of the whole chapter. Verses 1-5 declares the greatness of childlike sense of littleness; verses 6-14 on loving care of the weak members of the community and not scandalising them; verses 21-35 on the overall importance of forgiveness. – Read the reflection afterwards]
Jesus said to his disciples: 'If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.
'I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
'I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.'
A
1. What word or phrase stands out for you? Why?
2. With whom in the readings do you most identify? Why
3. Do you feel attracted to anything in today�s readings? Do you feel
resistant to anything? Do you know why?
4. In what way do these readings affirm you?
5. In what way do these readings challenge you?
6. What can you do to respond to this challenge?
B
1.Do any of the readings, passages relate to your life, speak to you? How?
2.Any question you would like to raise?
3.Ezekiel was given the responsibility of trying to change the ways of the ‘wicked’ in society. Can you see a similar role for Christians in today’s world/ Church?
4.Relate a time when you hurt someone and the person confronted you about it. How did you feel and how did you respond?
5.When have you experienced the power of prayer through your family, small / church community?
6.Some conflicts are part of any ongoing group. How does your family/ parish handle conflict?
Chapter 18 of St Matthew’s gospel is about life in the Church community. It addresses issues like concern for the vulnerable, confronting sin and forgiveness.
The chapter begins with a typical dispute among Jesus’ disciples over “who is the greatest” (18:1-9). Jesus calls a child, sets the child down in the middle of them and says that unless they become like this child, they will not enter the kingdom of heaven; for whoever humbles himself like the child will be “the greatest.” You can hear the gasp of the disciples across the centuries. Children were not symbols of innocence, but symbols of powerlessness that requires the care and protection of others. Jesus then continues with dire warnings against those who become stumbling blocks to one of “these little ones who believe in me.” The ground has shifted a bit, since such little ones are also the vulnerable members of the community who have “little faith.” Rather than become a snare for such people, he says, a person should choose self-mutilation.
Matthew’s concern for the weakest members of the community emerges in the following parable of the lost sheep. The sheep wanders off (a term used normally for moral straying), and the shepherd leaves the 99 on the mountain to seek the errant member. The most vulnerable becomes the criterion of pastoral care. This seems like a strange way to care for the welfare of a community.
Today’s Gospel seems to present a different way of dealing with sinners. First there is a one-to-one confrontation, followed by a meeting with official witnesses and then an appearance before the “church” (assembly of believers). If the sinner persists, he is to be treated as a “gentile or tax collector,” a decision that will ratified by God. Clearly Matthew, like Paul, was faced with situations in which a particular member was a threat to the good of the community (see also 1 Cor. 5:1-8).
This is a classic instance of Matthew bringing out from his “storeroom both the new and the old” and changing traditional teaching by placement of material. This disciplinary teaching is sandwiched between the parable of the lost sheep, in which the errant brother or sister is sought out rather than thrown out, and that of the unmerciful servant, next week’s Gospel, where Peter is counselled to have unlimited forgiveness. The tension between church order and the example of Christ remains through the ages.
Yet from the perspective of the whole Gospel, dealing with the sinner as a tax collector and gentile may not be so harsh. Jesus heals the servant of a gentile tax collector (8:5-13); while a slur against Jesus is that he is “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” When the ordinary ecclesial structures of reconciliation break down, the true shepherd must seek the one who is lost. Treating a sinner like the gentile and tax collector is not simply to practice excommunication but to seek new ways of communication.
We all know individuals who pride themselves on “keeping their noses out of other people’s business.” There is no virtue in being a busybody, but neither should we boast of disregard for others. On the other hand, some group-oriented societies seem to disdain the value of the individual. Personal preferences are regularly sacrificed for the common good. Unique talents or interests are renounced as threats to the status quo. Such extreme positions are beneficial for neither the individual nor the group. We need the community to thrive, and the community needs each of us to develop.
Ezekiel is called a “watchman for the house of Israel,” answerable to God for the spiritual well-being of others. He must convey God’s word to the people; it will be their responsibility to accept this word and follow its direction. If only Ezekiel had “minded his own business”! However, as “watchman for the house of Israel,” the spiritual well-being of the community was his business. Here we see the intimate relationship between the righteousness of one member and the religious soundness of the entire group.
Jesus insists that Christians cannot merely mind their own business. Each is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the entire community. Jesus describes a community that suffers from the sinfulness of one member. Reconciliation is necessary for the spiritual health of the entire group.
Reconciliation is a process. First, the offence is addressed by the individuals concerned. If it cannot be resolved, a few others are brought into the process. Only if this fails does it become a public matter. We see that the believing community is more like a family than a corporate organization. The goodness and the failings of one affect the entire family; the alienation of some is felt by all.
It is difficult to assume responsibility for the entire community, especially today. The local church is often too large for any individual to know many of its members. The church is often treated like a spiritual supermarket. People stop to get what they need, leave some money and do not return until they need something again. Furthermore, people often shop around for a church that can provide the best product.
This change in the character of the local church does not absolve us of our communal responsibilities. It merely poses new challenges. We continue to be responsible for the spiritual well-being of the church. We are still obliged to point out errors. We can do this through the way we raise our children, through the way we conduct business or fulfil civic duties.
We live in a world of overwhelming turmoil. Family members are alienated; there is animosity within the church; citizens distrust their governments; nations nurse longstanding grudges; and terrorism threatens us all. Still, we are responsible. We can be encouraged knowing that Jesus will be in our midst.
• Ask God for the grace that leads you to know your true self.
• When the prospect of suffering looms, think of Jesus, who had “to suffer greatly.”
• Pray about ways by which your parish or community may strive to resolve conflict.