COLLECT
SERIES
COLLECT
The
Collect for 23rd Sunday Ordinary Time reads as follows:
O God,
by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption,
Look graciously
upon your beloved sons and daughters,
That those
who believe in Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance.
.Who
lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God
for ever and ever.
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS
In making this prayer tangible the following reflection
questions emerged:
What does it mean to me to be redeemed?
What does it mean to me to receive adoption?
What does it mean to me to be looked
graciously by God?
What does true freedom in Christ mean for
me this coming week?
What does it mean to believe in an
everlasting inheritance?
How does believing in an everlasting
inheritance affect my life this coming week?
GOSPEL
REFLECTION
Jesus
provides for us in this passage from Matthew 18:15-20 a framework for conflict resolution and
community building within the Church. Jesus provides the steps for us to take.
Let us look at the steps that Jesus provides
Step 1: "If
your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him
alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
Step 2 But
if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge
may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
Step 3 If
he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.
Step 4 And
if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and
a tax collector.
From a
Catholic perspective, this passage serves multiple purposes:
- Personal
Responsibility and Fraternal Correction: The first step in
resolving conflict is direct communication with the person who has caused
offense. This recognizes the dignity and worth of the individual by giving
them the opportunity to rectify their mistake without public humiliation.
It mirrors the sacrament of Reconciliation, where sins are confessed and
forgiven in a personal encounter.
You may wish to look at my Forgiveness series to see what a
conditional apology is and why it is not an apology at all.
- The
Importance of Witnesses: If the issue is not
resolved in the first step, witnesses are called. This not only ensures
fairness but also aligns with Jewish legal practices of the time,
enhancing the credibility and authority of the process. It also adds a
communal aspect to what might otherwise be a private grievance. It is
important that each person has a capacity to forgive but some people take
longer than others in the process.
That timing should be respected if the parties involved truly want
reconciliation.
- Role
of the Church: If the individual refuses to listen even
when confronted with witnesses, the matter is brought before the Church.
In a Catholic context, this could mean a variety of things: consultation
with clergy, intervention by a Church body, or in extreme cases, formal
ecclesial procedures.
- Binding
and Loosing: These lines are especially significant in
Catholic theology, as they echo Christ’s words to Peter in Matthew 16:19
about the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is seen as establishing the
authority of the Church—through the Apostles and their successors, the
bishops—to govern the community of believers.
- Community
and Prayer: The passage closes with the idea that where
two or more are gathered in Christ’s name, He is present. This reinforces
the power and importance of the communal aspect of prayer. In the Catholic
tradition, this is manifest in the liturgy, particularly the Mass, which
is the community’s supreme act of worship. We should pray for the person/s
involved and ask God to help us to forgive. Sometimes we need to ask for a
desire to forgive because when we are hurt, wanting to forgive may not be
emotionally present in our psyches and definitely not in our souls.
- Finality
and Reconciliation: Treating the unrepentant person as a
"Gentile and a tax collector" doesn’t mean shunning or
excommunication in a vengeful sense. Jesus Himself reached out to Gentiles
and tax collectors. Therefore, it could be interpreted as a call to
continue praying for their conversion and an invitation for them to repent
and return to the community.
In
summary, Matthew 18:15-20 provides a roadmap for building a Christian community
rooted in justice, mercy, and reconciliation. It emphasizes personal
responsibility, the importance of communal witness, and the role of the Church
as a mediator and moral authority, always grounded in the presence and
teachings of Christ.
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