First Reading: Deuteronomy 34:1–12
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66-“Blessed be God who gave life to my soul.”
Gospel: Matthew 18:15–20
“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. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you… If he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector… For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Today's reading was yet another deep and thought provoking one. Many of us find it hard to forgive someone who has wronged us. Often, the hurt lingers because we have never even told the offender how we feel. Sometimes we do confront them, but they refuse to admit fault or apologize, making the pain even deeper. But it is worse still to harbor anger without ever speaking to them directly. Silence, avoidance, and gossip about the matter to everyone except the person involved may feel like action, but in truth, it is useless. While you we are hurting, the other person may be living in peace, unaware of the pain they’ve caused.
Jesus calls us to do something different. He tells us to meet the one who has wronged us, not to fight, but to speak the truth, seek reconciliation, and try to win them back to God. This isn’t just about repairing a relationship; it’s about caring for their soul. If they’ve sinned against us, they may well do the same to others. By confronting them with love, we help them turn from their wrong.
It's clear that Jesus did not tell us to give up after one attempt. If they won’t listen, involve others. If that fails, involve the church. This is not because we are meddling, it is because salvation is a community affair. We should be as concerned about their eternal life as we are about our own. To “treat them as a Gentile or a tax collector” is not to cast them off, but to love them even more, just as Jesus did. He called the tax collector Matthew to be an apostle, dined with sinners, and showed mercy to pagans like the Syrophoenician woman. His aim was always to win hearts for the Kingdom.
This means our offenders need our prayers, our compassion, and our persistent outreach. Even when it’s painful, whether the offender is a spouse, a child, a friend, a sibling, or even a parent, we should not wash our hands of them. If we claim to be “the good one” in the situation, then it falls to us to do all we can for the sake of their soul.
Yes, this is hard. At times it will feel like you are begging for a friendship that the other person doesn’t value. But remember, Jesus wasn’t begging for friendship from sinners. He was seeking their salvation. And because of His closeness to them, people like Zacchaeus, Matthew, and many others came back to God.
I hope this fresh Wednesday morning reflection touches you like it did for me.
God bless you
-Pal Ronnie-
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