Gospel Thought for Today
12th August Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Grace Starbuck RIP.
Reflection:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us sensible steps when dealing with an erring brother or sister. First, talk to them in private. If that fails, involve some witnesses. If that too does not work, refer the matter to the community of believers. Unfortunately, not everyone takes heed of Jesus’ advice. If you are at fault, you would be the last to know. And before you could defend yourself, people around you have already made their judgement against you.
As a community, we are called to love and serve one another. If that is our calling, then any gossip, rash judgement, and animosity should be off the table. “[Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”, Jesus said. Let’s do our best to make His presence felt by everyone!
- What is your first reaction when you hear about or witness someone living in sin?
- How do you avoid gossip in the family, circle of friends, community, or workplace?
- In this digital age, how do you still observe Christ’s teachings when posting, reading, or commenting on social media?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Help me to speak the truth in love to a brother or sister in need of fraternal correction so that I could win them over to You. Amen.
Fraternally,
Pietro
