Fr. Vincent Munary sx
23rd SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME (Mt. 18, 15 – 20)
Today's Gospel offers an interesting rule for every group of persons: family, church, community; they must stay united like the bricks in a building. They have to be cemented together when the house is built.
We Xaverians are founded by a Big in the Church: St. Guido Conforti; his motto is: “MAKE OF THE WORLD ONE FAMILY” and the words of today’s Gospel help us a lot to follow it.
In this Sunday Jesus wants to teach us how to behave in our relations with others human beings. He wants all humanity to be one and gives us the rule that is to be applied in every community. In the Gospel we find that God is our Father, and a Father is very happy when his children are happily together.
Jesus knows that it may be difficult and He gives us the “Beatitudes” to find peace inside us and around us (necessary to those who want to make peace their way of life and extend it to others); He gives us his example of accepting everybody as his friends, sharing bread to the crowd, healing people, pardoning those who nailed Him to a cross...
But not all follow the example of the Master; it happens in families and communities that somebody thinks that everything is due or allowed to him and so relations become difficult. Here comes the help of Jesus in today's Gospel.
He speaks first of a brother meeting a fellow Christian who is not keeping the rule of the community. First step is to exchange words, a calm and peaceful correction between the two. And here we have to remember the words: “a blind cannot lead another blind” (Mt. 15, 14), meaning that first we ourselves must search for the light of the Spirit.
This is a good help and everybody must be ready to accept corrections as gifts. We need a mirror to see ourselves in the face and behind and the others are this mirror. Think of the practical joke used also by me when I was a student on the 1st day of April, known as “April fool”, some of us were hanging paper shapes of fish behind the back of one or two of our school mates with a friendly knock on the shoulder; they did not know and nobody told them. Only a friend could help the fellow to get rid of the problem and stop others from having fun at his expenses.
The second step, if the person does not listen, it is to ask help of one or two brothers; and the third step is to involve the Christian community, the Church.
Yes, to change, to come out from bad habits, is not easy and involving the Church is the great solution because the prayer makes miracles, and here Jesus tells us that He is united with those who pray together (see vv. 19 - 20).
But there is a forth step recommended by Jesus: “if he does not listen the Church, treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector” (v. 17).
Here we have simply to remember how Christ, our Teacher, was friend of pagans and tax collectors; so, in our relation with someone who is not keen to keep God’s or the Church rules, who thinks Mohamed or Buddha is the saviour, the last step is friendship with all, especially with those who need it most.
23rd SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME (Mt. 18, 15 – 20)
Today's Gospel offers an interesting rule for every group of persons: family, church, community; they must stay united like the bricks in a building. They have to be cemented together when the house is built.
We Xaverians are founded by a Big in the Church: St. Guido Conforti; his motto is: “MAKE OF THE WORLD ONE FAMILY” and the words of today’s Gospel help us a lot to follow it.
In this Sunday Jesus wants to teach us how to behave in our relations with others human beings. He wants all humanity to be one and gives us the rule that is to be applied in every community. In the Gospel we find that God is our Father, and a Father is very happy when his children are happily together.
Jesus knows that it may be difficult and He gives us the “Beatitudes” to find peace inside us and around us (necessary to those who want to make peace their way of life and extend it to others); He gives us his example of accepting everybody as his friends, sharing bread to the crowd, healing people, pardoning those who nailed Him to a cross...
But not all follow the example of the Master; it happens in families and communities that somebody thinks that everything is due or allowed to him and so relations become difficult. Here comes the help of Jesus in today's Gospel.
He speaks first of a brother meeting a fellow Christian who is not keeping the rule of the community. First step is to exchange words, a calm and peaceful correction between the two. And here we have to remember the words: “a blind cannot lead another blind” (Mt. 15, 14), meaning that first we ourselves must search for the light of the Spirit.
This is a good help and everybody must be ready to accept corrections as gifts. We need a mirror to see ourselves in the face and behind and the others are this mirror. Think of the practical joke used also by me when I was a student on the 1st day of April, known as “April fool”, some of us were hanging paper shapes of fish behind the back of one or two of our school mates with a friendly knock on the shoulder; they did not know and nobody told them. Only a friend could help the fellow to get rid of the problem and stop others from having fun at his expenses.
The second step, if the person does not listen, it is to ask help of one or two brothers; and the third step is to involve the Christian community, the Church.
Yes, to change, to come out from bad habits, is not easy and involving the Church is the great solution because the prayer makes miracles, and here Jesus tells us that He is united with those who pray together (see vv. 19 - 20).
But there is a forth step recommended by Jesus: “if he does not listen the Church, treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector” (v. 17).
Here we have simply to remember how Christ, our Teacher, was friend of pagans and tax collectors; so, in our relation with someone who is not keen to keep God’s or the Church rules, who thinks Mohamed or Buddha is the saviour, the last step is friendship with all, especially with those who need it most.