Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Carrying One Another
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. The holiness of God can stand no evil, as Ezekiel proclaims to an unfaithful people; only those marked with the sign of God, those personally responding to his offer of salvation, will be spared. And yet, this holy God is also a forgiving God, as we have all experienced. What would we do without forgiveness?
Gospel. What if my brother or sister goes astray? One of the most difficult and delicate tasks is to bring a brother or sister back when he or she errs. It is a duty, but one that requires courage and at the same time much tact, the right moment and the right disposition on both sides. It is my concern, because he or she is my brother or sister, vulnerable as I am, and wounded.
Opening Prayer
God of mercy and compassion,
your Son Jesus Christ has brought us together
as a community of sinners
that knows that you have pardoned us.
When our weaknesses threaten our unity,
remind us of our responsibility for one another.
Let your unifying Spirit give us the strength
to care for one another
and to do all we can to remain
a living, forgiving and welcoming community
where we keep meeting in the name of Jesus,
our Lord, now and for ever.
First Reading
Sentence and Execution
Then he loudly shouted in my ears, saying: “The punishment of the city is near; see, each one of these has his instrument of destruction in his hand.”
Six men approached from the north-facing upper gate, each carrying his weapon of destruction. Along with them was a man dressed in linen, with writing material at his side. They stopped near the bronze altar.
Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from the cherubim where it rested and moved to the threshold of the house. The Lord called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing materials at his side,
and he said to him: “Pass through the center of the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a cross on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan because of all the abominations committed in it.”
I heard him say to the others: “Now you may pass through the city, after him, and strike. Your eyes shall not look with pity; show no mercy! Do away with them all—
—old men, young men, virgins, children, and women—but do not touch anyone marked with a cross.”And, as they were instructed to begin with the Sanctuary. And they struck the elders who were in front of the temple.
The Lord said to them: “Let the courts be filled with the slain and the temple be defiled with their blood: Go out!” They went and killed the people in the city.
While they were slaughtering the people, I fell on my face and cried out, saying: “Ah, the Lord! Are you going to destroy all that is left of Israel and unleash your fury against Jerusalem?”
He told me: “The sin of Israel and Judah is very great; the land is full of blood, and the city is full of corruption. For they say: ‘The Lord has abandoned the land; the Lord does not see.’
I, too, will have no mercy; I will show no compassion; and I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”
Then the man dressed in linen, who brought the writing kit, reported: “I have done what you ordered.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (4b) The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high,
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
On Forgiveness
If your brother has sinned against you, go and confront him privately, and if he listens to you, you have restored your brother.
If he doesn’t listen to you, bring one or two others with you, so that the matter can be decided based on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the gathered Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then consider him a pagan or a tax collector.
I say to you: whatever you bind on earth, heaven will also bind; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will also unbind.
Similarly, I tell you, if two of you agree on anything you ask for, it will be granted to you by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three gather in my name, I am there among them.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For all those God has entrusted to one another: our Christian families, our towns and cities, people who work together, and all our communities, that love may inspire us to deal with one another with frankful tact and respect, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may believe in the goodness of each person and be patient with one another, we pray:
– For our communities, that we may often pray together in the name of Jesus for the needs of the world and the Church, for Christ assures us that our prayer will be heard, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
you bring together at the table of your Son
the weak with the strong, the sick with the healthy.
Let your Son fill us here
with the fullness of his presence
that we may accept one another
to live with one another in peace and friendship.
We offer you our good will
and ask you for the strength
to welcome each other in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
your Son Jesus has been in our midst
and he has strengthened us with his body and blood.
He made our wounds of sin his wounds and healed them.
Let the wounds of our brothers and sisters
become ours, their joys our happiness.
Let your Son teach us the art
of bringing those who err back to you
and into our communities
without embittering or humiliating them,
without any feeling of superiority,
but simply because they are our brothers and sisters
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We know we are responsible for one another. Our community should be a place where we can speak freely to one another and help those in trouble stay in the community or win them back. May God give you this openness and courage, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 18:15-20
Fraternal Dialogue to win the offender
The evangelist Mathew presents Jesus' guiding principles for Christian communities. The entire chapter 18 describes the foundational values and practices that distinguish the community of disciples from any other: solidarity with one another as "children" (Matthew 18:1-5), avoiding actions that cause others to "stumble" (18:6-9), caring for the most vulnerable (18:6, 10, 14), restoring those who have gone astray (18:12-14, 15-17), and forgiveness without limit (18:21-35).
In the light of this vision and these practices, the community represents the image of heaven on earth (18:18-19) and Jesus himself is present among them (18:20). When others err, correcting them is never easy, and we tend to see it as a counter-productive and old-fashioned practice in these relativistic and individualistic times.
In 18:15-17, we see a concrete example of a careful, orderly, and most importantly, persistent approach to interpersonal conflicts. This emphasizes the role of dialogue, which is another way of saying that consensus should be sought at all times. It emphasises the role of fraternal dialogue whose sole aim is to gain the offender. There is no room for holding onto bitterness, retaliating, or gossiping about the problem.
Says a spiritual writer: “We must not let trespass rankle in our bosom, by maintaining a sullen silence, nor may we go and publish the matter abroad. We must seek out the offender and tell him his fault as if he were not aware of it; as perhaps he may not be.”
It requires a lot of patience and delicate handling. It may not be enough to rely solely on human effort to succeed in this endeavour. Jesus promises guidance and his presence to his followers for all ages.
There are many broken families and relationships, split-ups, frustrations and bitterness found in Christian communities. Who doesn’t want to live in harmony and enjoy the blessings of a peaceful life?
The difference between a spiritual and an unspiritual community is not whether a conflict exists, but in the attitude towards handling it. We are making a spiritual community when we use conflict as an opportunity to draw fully on our spiritual resources. Jesus himself recommends reconciliation between estranged brothers and sisters with his aid.