Reproving Another Who Sins

The Sunday Gospel [September 4, 2011]

Matthew 18:15-20

15 “If your brother* sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. 16 If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.18 Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.19 Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Reflection

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." ~ v. 18

One night when St. John Bosco was still a small boy, he dreamed that he was surrounded by a pack of wild beasts. He was trying to bring them under control by violence. Suddenly, a beautiful woman stood before him. “Go gently,” she told him. He ceased his violence, and the beasts little by little changed into lambs that followed wherever he led.

Our desire to change others may not be taking the form of physical violence, but so long as we are trying to use any type of pressure on our family, our friends – even ourselves – to force change, we are exercising a form of violence. We are setting up a standard and expecting them or ourselves to measure up to it.

Concern for others will be genuine only when it takes the form of an affirming support that allows those we wish to help the freedom to develop their potential for good – and do it at their own pace.

Credits: Sr. Terese Donze, A.S.C., Living Faith


Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).