Heart of the Matter

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Sept 7
First reading                                         Ezekiel 33:7-9

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.’

Psalm                                                Psalm 94:1-2,6-9

Second reading                             Romans 13:8-10 

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.
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Gospel                                          Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said, ‘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.’

Reflection

By Theresa Ballo

Have you ever tried to correct a friend’s misbehaviors? Did he listen to you or accuse you of not being able to understand him? Did you somehow follow Jesus’ instructions to His disciples? If not, do you think the outcome would have been different?

To serve again in the parish has been a great challenge for me. The Catholic Youth Organization in St. Joseph de Gagalangin Parish welcomed and loved me when I was a problematic teenager. I was 16 then and just like any normal teenager out there, I was experiencing a lot of crises. Our elders listened and journeyed with me as I passed by every stage. After college, I left Gagalangin for an adventure. Three years after, I went back home, to my family and to the parish.

However, this time, I am a seasoned member and part of the “elders” and now sharing responsibility to a more challenging set of youth members. Youth, who are exposed to a great deal of societal pressures yet still chose to serve God and be with Jesus in the humblest way they can. Speaking from a third person viewpoint, I admire the youth of St. Joseph Parish, theirs are raw talents shared wholeheartedly in the Church. Being with them, I tell you is not smooth-sailing. It is a roller-coaster ride! I guess, in all relationships we have, conflicts are inevitable. We have to learn how each conflict should be handled with care -- which we can learn from today’s readings.

The Gospel talks about sin, relationship, conversation and restoration. It is about acknowledging sin yet choosing to love that person still. Not in human ways but in Jesus’ ways.

First step is to talk personally to the person. There is a secret ingredient to this. First, you have to be a person whom the offender trusts. It will just sound nosy and judgmental if you correct the act immediately. This is a quiet conversation, a humble one. It does not have to be announced to the whole group that you’re going to talk to this person. It is placing yourself in the other person’s shoe rather than being critical. This is not an interrogation or gossiping but an informal interaction of encouraging the best from each other.

Remember when Jesus called Martha’s attention when He visited her and Mary? How about the mistress and the prostitutes in the Bible? How did He handle Peter’s denial? Jesus consistently immersed himself to these people and gently pointed out their shortcomings, offered forgiveness and continued to have a relationship with them.

After doing this step and the person still doesn't see the wrong in what he/she is doing or doesn't see any need to stop the act, move up to the next step--call witnesses. After a private conversation, two or three persons are invited along. This is the tricky part now. If not handled with care, it may appear ganging up a person.

I’m sure Jesus having said this, didn't mean creating a forum to scourge people. After all, He already accepted crucifixion and who are we to humiliate and put someone in public scrutiny? When we bring in a witness, he/she has to be someone with more spiritual wisdom and experience, someone who can listen carefully to both sides.

If the conflict can’t still be resolved after doing the third step, the Gospel said to make the matter public before the Church. I strongly believe that the Church here refers to a community of believers. This is where the community seeks God’s help to intervene. The goal remains to restore and not to push people out of God’s mercy even when the reading says, treat them as tax collectors and pagans. How did Jesus treat Matthew and the other tax collectors in the bible? Isn't it that He called them to be His disciples and ate with them in their house?

The very essence of today’s Gospel is to untiringly believe in goodness. As Mother Teresa says, “Love until it hurts no more”. This is a call to recognize and eliminate sin and to love the sinner at the same time. The journey has to go hand in hand. You might be confused and asks, what about tough love? Tough love especially about parenting is to make the other person know your purpose. A father cannot say to his son, “Since you sinned, you’ll not be my son for a month or until you finally change your ways.” God’s love that manifests in the people we encounter everyday is one that listens and give chances. It is always noteworthy to remember that our purpose for correcting one’s mistake is to cut the sin not the relationship with the sinner, which remains to be the heart of the matter.

Prayer

Almighty Father,t hank You for always giving us a life of second chances. It may seem redundant already that we keep on sinning but still Your mercy teaches us what forgiveness means. In moments of great danger, You give us signals to slow down and stop. Give us the wisdom to share the right blend of being accountable to our neighbor’s wrongdoings. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts so that our intentions would be pure and our ways would be gentle. Amen.