Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest
and Martyr
Lectionary: 415
Lectionary: 415
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
"This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over."
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD's command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
"This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over."
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD's command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 66:1-3A, 5 AND 8, 16-17
R.(see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Alleluia2 COR 5:19
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, please go here.
Meditation: "If
your brother sins against you"
What's
the best way to repair a damaged relationship? Jesus offers his disciples
spiritual freedom and power for restoring broken or injured relationships.
Don't
brood over an offense - speak directly and privately
What can we learn from Jesus' instructions about how to mend a damaged relationship (Matthew 18:15-20)? If you feel you have been wronged by someone, Jesus says the first step is to speak directly but privately to the individual who has done the harm. One of the worst things we can do is brood over our grievance. This can poison our mind and heart and make it more difficult to go directly to the person who caused the damage.
What can we learn from Jesus' instructions about how to mend a damaged relationship (Matthew 18:15-20)? If you feel you have been wronged by someone, Jesus says the first step is to speak directly but privately to the individual who has done the harm. One of the worst things we can do is brood over our grievance. This can poison our mind and heart and make it more difficult to go directly to the person who caused the damage.
Seek
the help of wise Christians
If we truly want to settle a difference with someone, we need to do it face to face. If this fails in its purpose, then the second step is to bring another person or persons, someone who is wise and gracious rather than someone who is hot-tempered or judgmental. The goal is not so much to put the offender on trial, but to persuade the offender to see the wrong and to be reconciled. And if this fails, then we must still not give up, but seek the help of the Christian community. Note the emphasis here is on restoring a broken relationship by seeking the help of other Christians who hopefully will pray and seek a solution for reconciliation based on Christian love and wisdom, rather than relying on coercive force or threat of legal action, such as a lawsuit.
If we truly want to settle a difference with someone, we need to do it face to face. If this fails in its purpose, then the second step is to bring another person or persons, someone who is wise and gracious rather than someone who is hot-tempered or judgmental. The goal is not so much to put the offender on trial, but to persuade the offender to see the wrong and to be reconciled. And if this fails, then we must still not give up, but seek the help of the Christian community. Note the emphasis here is on restoring a broken relationship by seeking the help of other Christians who hopefully will pray and seek a solution for reconciliation based on Christian love and wisdom, rather than relying on coercive force or threat of legal action, such as a lawsuit.
Pray
for the offender - for healing and reconciliation
Lastly, if even the Christian community fails to bring about reconciliation, what must we do? Jesus seems to say that we have the right to abandon stubborn and obdurate offenders and treat them like social outcasts. The tax-collectors and Gentiles were regarded as "unclean" by the religious-minded Jews and they resorted to shunning them. However we know from the Gospel accounts that Jesus often had fellowship with tax-collectors (as well as other public sinners), ate with them, and even praised them at times! Jesus refuses no one who is open to receive pardon, healing, and restoration.
Lastly, if even the Christian community fails to bring about reconciliation, what must we do? Jesus seems to say that we have the right to abandon stubborn and obdurate offenders and treat them like social outcasts. The tax-collectors and Gentiles were regarded as "unclean" by the religious-minded Jews and they resorted to shunning them. However we know from the Gospel accounts that Jesus often had fellowship with tax-collectors (as well as other public sinners), ate with them, and even praised them at times! Jesus refuses no one who is open to receive pardon, healing, and restoration.
Set
no obstacle in seeking to heal your brother's wound
When you are offended, are you willing to put aside your own grievance and injury in order to help your brother's wound? The Lord Jesus wants to set us free from resentment, ill-will, and an unwillingness to forgive. The love of Christ both purifies and sets us free to do good to all - even those who cause us grief. The call to accountability for what we have done and have failed to do is inevitable and we can't escape it, both in this life and at the day of judgment when the Lord Jesus will return. But while we have the opportunity today, we must not give up on praying for those who cause us offense. With God's help we must seek to make every effort to win them with the grace and power of God's healing love and wisdom. Do you tolerate broken relationships or do you seek to repair them as God gives you the opportunity to mend and restore what is broken?
When you are offended, are you willing to put aside your own grievance and injury in order to help your brother's wound? The Lord Jesus wants to set us free from resentment, ill-will, and an unwillingness to forgive. The love of Christ both purifies and sets us free to do good to all - even those who cause us grief. The call to accountability for what we have done and have failed to do is inevitable and we can't escape it, both in this life and at the day of judgment when the Lord Jesus will return. But while we have the opportunity today, we must not give up on praying for those who cause us offense. With God's help we must seek to make every effort to win them with the grace and power of God's healing love and wisdom. Do you tolerate broken relationships or do you seek to repair them as God gives you the opportunity to mend and restore what is broken?
"Lord
Jesus, make me an instrument of your healing love and peace. Give me wisdom and
courage to bring your healing love and saving truth to those in need of healing
and restoration."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: If someone has done you injury, by
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
"If someone has done you injury and you have suffered, what should be done? You have heard the answer already in today's scripture: 'If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.' If you fail to do so, you are worse than he is. He has done someone harm, and by doing harm he has stricken himself with a grievous wound. Will you then completely disregard your brother's wound? Will you simply watch him stumble and fall down? Will you disregard his predicament? If so, you are worse in your silence than he in his abuse. Therefore, when any one sins against us, let us take great care, but not merely for ourselves. For it is a glorious thing to forget injuries. Just set aside your own injury, but do not neglect your brother's wound. Therefore 'go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone,' intent upon his amendment but sparing his sense of shame. For it might happen that through defensiveness he will begin to justify his sin, and so you will have inadvertently nudged him still closer toward the very behavior you desire to amend. Therefore 'tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother,' because he might have been lost, had you not spoken with him. " (excerpt from Sermon 82.7)
"If someone has done you injury and you have suffered, what should be done? You have heard the answer already in today's scripture: 'If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.' If you fail to do so, you are worse than he is. He has done someone harm, and by doing harm he has stricken himself with a grievous wound. Will you then completely disregard your brother's wound? Will you simply watch him stumble and fall down? Will you disregard his predicament? If so, you are worse in your silence than he in his abuse. Therefore, when any one sins against us, let us take great care, but not merely for ourselves. For it is a glorious thing to forget injuries. Just set aside your own injury, but do not neglect your brother's wound. Therefore 'go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone,' intent upon his amendment but sparing his sense of shame. For it might happen that through defensiveness he will begin to justify his sin, and so you will have inadvertently nudged him still closer toward the very behavior you desire to amend. Therefore 'tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother,' because he might have been lost, had you not spoken with him. " (excerpt from Sermon 82.7)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, MATTHEW 18:15-20
(Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 66)
(Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 66)
KEY VERSE: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (v. 20).
TO KNOW: The Jews were called by God to form a worshiping and believing community (Hebrew, Qahal Yahweh). Christians are also called to be a people of God, the Church (Greek, Ekklesia). Matthew is the only evangelist to use the term "church" (Mt 16:18; 18:17). In this second instance, the church dealt with members of the community who sinned, yet remained obstinate despite fraternal correction. If the person continued to be unrepentant, the case was referred to the whole church, and, if all else failed, excommunication might be prescribed (1 Cor 4:9-11). Jesus used hyperbole (exaggerated speech), when he said that they should be treated as "tax-collectors and Gentiles." Jesus himself was accused of being the friend of sinners. The church should never see people as hopeless sinners, but always treat those who have fallen from grace with sympathy and love as Jesus did. He is eternally present in the church as it exercises his divine authority of forgiveness in his name (Mt 28:20).
TO LOVE: Pray for Church leaders to use their authority with justice and compassion.
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to follow your example of kindness and care for those who have strayed.
Optional of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, priest and martyr
Maximilian Kolbe was ordained in 1918 in Rome, and returned to Poland to teach history in the Crakow seminary. He founded a new monastery of Niepokalanow. By 1939 the monastery housed nearly 800 men, the largest religious community of its day. During World War II, Maximilian Kolbe and his brothers lodged 3,000 Polish refugees, two-thirds who were Jewish. Their publications included materials considered anti-Naz. The congregation was suppressed, and the brothers dispersed. Maximilian was imprisoned in Warsaw, Poland. On 28 May 1941 he was transferred to Auschwitz and branded as prisoner 16670. His calm dedication to the faith brought him the worst jobs available, and more beatings than anyone else. In July 1941 there was an escape from the camp, and ten men were to be executed in retribution. Francis Gajowniczek, a married man with young children, was one of the ten chosen to die. Maximilian volunteered to take his place, and died as he had always wished - in service of Jesus Christ. Maximilian Kolbe was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
Wednesday 14 August 2019
St Maximilian Kolbe
Deuteronomy 34:1-12. Psalm 65(66):1-3, 5, 16-17. Matthew 18:15‑20.
Blessed be God who filled my soul with life! – Psalm 65(66):1-3,
5, 16-17.
‘For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses.’
Moses’ people must have loved him deeply. He had been their
leader for over forty years. He brought them out of slavery in Egypt and held
them together through years of struggle. He shared his vision with them, a
vision of the promised land. This was the dream planted in Moses’ heart by God.
It was enough for Moses to see the promised land. He didn’t need
to enter it. More important was the fact that his people had travelled in
freedom. They had broken out of bondage and were free to follow wherever God
led them.
In today’s Gospel we hear that ‘where two or three are gathered
in my name, I am there among them.’ Jesus is with us in a special way when we
meet to pray and serve in his name. May we find life in his presence, seeking
him out more and more.
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Saint of the Day for August 14
(January 8, 1894 – August 14, 1941)
 |
| Stained glass in Our Lady of Czestochowa Grotto (Sorrowful Mother Shrine) | photo by Nheyob |
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s Story
“I don’t know what’s going to become of you!” How many parents
have said that? Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s reaction was, “I prayed very hard to
Our Lady to tell me what would happen to me. She appeared, holding in her hands
two crowns, one white, one red. She asked if I would like to have them—one was
for purity, the other for martyrdom. I said, ‘I choose both.’ She smiled and
disappeared.” After that he was not the same.
He entered the minor seminary of the Conventual Franciscans in
Lvív–then Poland, now Ukraine– near his birthplace, and at 16 became a novice.
Though Maximilian later achieved doctorates in philosophy and theology, he was
deeply interested in science, even drawing plans for rocket ships.
Ordained at 24, Maximilian saw religious indifference as the
deadliest poison of the day. His mission was to combat it. He had already
founded the Militia of the Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil with the
witness of the good life, prayer, work, and suffering. He dreamed of and then
founded Knight of the Immaculata, a religious magazine under
Mary’s protection to preach the Good News to all nations. For the work of
publication he established a “City of the Immaculata”—Niepokalanow—which housed
700 of his Franciscan brothers. He later founded another one in Nagasaki,
Japan. Both the Militia and the magazine ultimately reached the one-million
mark in members and subscribers. His love of God was daily filtered through
devotion to Mary.
In 1939, the Nazi panzers overran Poland with deadly speed.
Niepokalanow was severely bombed. Kolbe and his friars were arrested, then
released in less than three months, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
In 1941, Fr. Kolbe was arrested again. The Nazis’ purpose was to
liquidate the select ones, the leaders. The end came quickly, three months
later in Auschwitz, after terrible beatings and humiliations.
A prisoner had escaped. The commandant announced that 10 men
would die. He relished walking along the ranks. “This one. That one.”
As they were being marched away to the starvation bunkers,
Number 16670 dared to step from the line.
“I would like to take that man’s place. He has a wife and
children.”
“Who are you?”
“A priest.”
“Who are you?”
“A priest.”
No name, no mention of fame. Silence. The commandant, dumbfounded,
perhaps with a fleeting thought of history, kicked Sergeant Francis Gajowniczek
out of line and ordered Fr. Kolbe to go with the nine. In the “block of death”
they were ordered to strip naked, and their slow starvation began in darkness.
But there was no screaming—the prisoners sang. By the eve of the Assumption,
four were left alive. The jailer came to finish Kolbe off as he sat in a corner
praying. He lifted his fleshless arm to receive the bite of the hypodermic
needle. It was filled with carbolic acid. They burned his body with all the
others. Fr. Kolbe was beatified in 1971 and canonized in 1982.
Reflection
Father Kolbe’s death was not a sudden, last-minute act of
heroism. His whole life had been a preparation. His holiness was a limitless,
passionate desire to convert the whole world to God. And his beloved Immaculata
was his inspiration.
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe is the Patron Saint of:
Addicts
Drug addiction
Drug addiction
Lectio Divina: Matthew 18:15-20
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty and ever-living God,
Your Spirit made us Your children,
confident to call You Father.
Increase Your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Your Spirit made us Your children,
confident to call You Father.
Increase Your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples: "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. 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. 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. 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. 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. For where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them."
3) Reflection
• In the Gospel of today and of tomorrow we read and meditate on
the second half of the Discourse on the Community. Today’s Gospel speaks about
fraternal correction (Mt 18:15-18) and of prayer in common (Mt 18:19-20). The
Gospel of tomorrow speaks about pardon (Mt 18:21-22) and presents the parable
of pardon without limitations (Mt 18:23-35). The key word in this second part
is “to forgive”. The accent is on reconciliation. In order that there may be
reconciliation which will allow the little ones to return, it is important to
know how to dialogue and to forgive, because the foundation of fraternity is
the gratuitous love of God. It is only in this way that the community will be a
sign of the Kingdom. It is not easy to forgive. There is a certain grief which
continues to strike the heart as with a hammer. There are those who say, “I
forgive, but I do not forget!” There is resentment, tensions, clashes, diverse
opinions, and offenses, provocations which render pardon and reconciliation
difficult.
• The organization of the words of Jesus in the five Great Discourses of the Gospel of Matthew indicates that at the end of the first century, the communities had very concrete forms of catechesis. The Discourse of the Community (Mt 18:1-35), for example, gives updated instructions of how to proceed in case of any conflict among the members of the community and how to find criteria to solve the conflicts. Matthew gathers together those sayings of Jesus which can help the communities of the end of the first century to overcome the two more acute problems which they had to face at that moment, that is, the exodus of the little ones because of the scandal given by some and the need to dialogue in order to overcome the rigor of others in accepting the little ones, the poor, in the community.
• Matthew 18:15-18: Fraternal correction and the power to forgive. These verses give simple norms of how to proceed in case of conflicts in the community. If a brother or a sister should sin, if they had behavior not in accordance to the life of the community, they should not be denounced immediately. First, it is necessary to try to speak with them alone. Then it is necessary to try to know the reasons of the other. If no results are obtained, then it is necessary to take two or three persons of the community to see if it is possible to obtain some result. Only in extreme cases is it necessary to expose the problem to the whole community. If the person refuses to listen to the community, then they should be considered by you as “a sinner or a pagan”, that is, as someone who is not part of the community. Therefore, it is not you who excludes, but it is the person himself/herself who excludes himself/herself. The community gathered together only verifies or ratifies the exclusion. The grace to be able to forgive and to reconcile in the name of God was given to Peter (Mt 16:19), to the Apostles ( Jn 20: 23) and, here in the Discourse on the Community, to the community itself (Mt 18:18). This reveals the importance of the decisions which the community assumes in regard to its members.
• Matthew 18:19: Prayer in common. The exclusion does not mean that the person is abandoned to his/her own fate. No! The person may be separated from the community, but will never be separated from God. In the case in which the conversation in the community does not produce any result, and the person does not want to be integrated in the life of the community, there still remains the last possibility to remain together with the Father to obtain reconciliation, and Jesus guarantees that the Father will listen: “If two of you agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by My Father in Heaven; for where two or three meet in My Name, I am there among them”.
• Matthew 18:20: The presence of Jesus in the community. The reason of the certainty of being heard by the Father is the promise of Jesus: “Because where there are two or three who meet in My name, I am there among them!” Jesus is the center, the axis, of the community, and, as such, together with the community, will always be praying with us to the Father, in order that He may grant the gift of the return of the brother or the sister who have excluded themselves.
• The organization of the words of Jesus in the five Great Discourses of the Gospel of Matthew indicates that at the end of the first century, the communities had very concrete forms of catechesis. The Discourse of the Community (Mt 18:1-35), for example, gives updated instructions of how to proceed in case of any conflict among the members of the community and how to find criteria to solve the conflicts. Matthew gathers together those sayings of Jesus which can help the communities of the end of the first century to overcome the two more acute problems which they had to face at that moment, that is, the exodus of the little ones because of the scandal given by some and the need to dialogue in order to overcome the rigor of others in accepting the little ones, the poor, in the community.
• Matthew 18:15-18: Fraternal correction and the power to forgive. These verses give simple norms of how to proceed in case of conflicts in the community. If a brother or a sister should sin, if they had behavior not in accordance to the life of the community, they should not be denounced immediately. First, it is necessary to try to speak with them alone. Then it is necessary to try to know the reasons of the other. If no results are obtained, then it is necessary to take two or three persons of the community to see if it is possible to obtain some result. Only in extreme cases is it necessary to expose the problem to the whole community. If the person refuses to listen to the community, then they should be considered by you as “a sinner or a pagan”, that is, as someone who is not part of the community. Therefore, it is not you who excludes, but it is the person himself/herself who excludes himself/herself. The community gathered together only verifies or ratifies the exclusion. The grace to be able to forgive and to reconcile in the name of God was given to Peter (Mt 16:19), to the Apostles ( Jn 20: 23) and, here in the Discourse on the Community, to the community itself (Mt 18:18). This reveals the importance of the decisions which the community assumes in regard to its members.
• Matthew 18:19: Prayer in common. The exclusion does not mean that the person is abandoned to his/her own fate. No! The person may be separated from the community, but will never be separated from God. In the case in which the conversation in the community does not produce any result, and the person does not want to be integrated in the life of the community, there still remains the last possibility to remain together with the Father to obtain reconciliation, and Jesus guarantees that the Father will listen: “If two of you agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by My Father in Heaven; for where two or three meet in My Name, I am there among them”.
• Matthew 18:20: The presence of Jesus in the community. The reason of the certainty of being heard by the Father is the promise of Jesus: “Because where there are two or three who meet in My name, I am there among them!” Jesus is the center, the axis, of the community, and, as such, together with the community, will always be praying with us to the Father, in order that He may grant the gift of the return of the brother or the sister who have excluded themselves.
4) Personal questions
• Why is it so difficult to forgive? In our community, is there
some space for reconciliation? In which way?
• Jesus says: "For wherever there are two or three who meet in My Name, I am also there among them”. What does this mean for us today?
• What is the balance between forgiveness and the protection of others which we have responsibility for? Both as individuals and as a society or community, what does it mean to forgive, forget, and still protect the vulnerable?
• Jesus says: "For wherever there are two or three who meet in My Name, I am also there among them”. What does this mean for us today?
• What is the balance between forgiveness and the protection of others which we have responsibility for? Both as individuals and as a society or community, what does it mean to forgive, forget, and still protect the vulnerable?
5) Concluding Prayer
Praise, servants of Yahweh,
praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh,
henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113:1-2)
praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh,
henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113:1-2)
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