Sunday Lectionary: September 4, 2011

Unfortunately a little rushed this week, but here you go…

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings this week concern themselves with the tricky subject of relationships and, in particular, relationships between Christians. The passages address the question of how sin and disputes are to be handled in the Church.

 

Reading I: Ezekiel 33:7-9

Last week we heard from the Prophet Jeremiah. This week we have switched to the Prophet Ezekiel, but continue with the theme of God’s word.

Thus says the LORD:

“You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. If I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked one, you shall surely die’  and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself”

Possible Questions:

• What do you think of when you hear the word “watchman”? What is this person’s function?
• What does the Lord say that Ezekiel should do if He tells him to warn someone?
• What does the Lord say will happen if Ezekiel does not do this?
• What does the Lord say will happen if Ezekiel does do this?
• What is the “moral sense” of this passage? What lesson can we apply to our lives?

Commentary:

“…son of man…”

God addresses Ezekiel with this humbling title over ninety times in this book.

“…I have appointed [you] watchman for the house of Israel…”

Watchmen had several roles:

1. Warned of approaching armies
2. Warned of approaching messengers
3. Gave news of battles

For obvious reasons, the watchmen were positioned at the highest points of a city. The prophets, those whom we might say were closest to the heavens, acted as spiritual watchmen. In the New Covenant community, the Apostles and their successors would become the new guardians over the Church, the New Israel.

“…when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me”

God commands Ezekiel to be obedient. This was something Jesus fulfilled perfectly:

“So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” – John 12:50

How often does God give us something to say and we choose to say nothing?

As we will hear in the Gospel Reading for this week, the goal of speaking out is to correct the sinner (one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy) and return that person to peace with God.

“If [you]…do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death”

It is worth mentioning that, in other parts of Ezekiel there is something of a contrast with what is described above. In particular, in Chapter 18 it is made clear that the Lord will hold each individual accountable for his own behaviour.

Yet we must still accept what is said in the above verse…and this is a pretty tough verse! Ezekiel has a real responsibility here. God says that, when He tells Ezekiel to say something, he’d better say it! If Ezekiel doesn’t say anything he will be held accountable. It doesn’t matter how unpopular it is…

We too have some share of responsibility towards others. We are called to proclaim to them God’s word. As Tolstoy wrote:

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” – War & Peace

It’s tough, but we need speak up because it is the loving thing to do. How dangerous do we really think sin is? We need to speak up because it is in our neighbour’s best interest. Which do we love more – the friend or the friendship?

“But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself”

If, however, Ezekiel preaches as God directs, then Ezekiel has done his part. There even seems to be some implication that Ezekiel will be rewarded for this since, in attempting to turn a sinner away from sin, he will “save [him]self”. Something similar appears in St. James’ Epistle:

“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” – James 5:19-20

St. Paul would also write to the Corinthians:

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

All Christians are called to this ministry of reconciliation.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

This psalm is a call to worship which would have been proclaimed by a priest or a Levite in the Temple of Jerusalem before the assembly. In our present day, it is a passage which is prayed by priests, religious and some laity every morning in the Liturgy of the Hours.

This psalm contains great truths on which to meditate at the beginning of the day. It is an invitation to listen for the voice of the Lord and to give Him due worship. At the end of the psalm we are reminded of the event which took place in desert, where the Israelites failed to listen to the voice of the Lord, where they didn’t give Him due praise and instead rebelled against Him, despite all He had done for them.

This psalm is quoted and commented upon in Hebrews 3:7-4:13.

R. (8)If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”

Possible Questions:

• There are several invitations made in today’s psalm. What are they?
• What relationship does the psalmist say exists between God and His people?
• What does it mean to “harden not your hearts”?
• What happened at “Meribah” and “Massah”?
• What does the psalmist mean when he says that the people “tempted” Him?
• What is the reason the psalmist gives for why Israel shouldn’t have tested the Lord?
• How can we apply this psalm to our own lives? Do we ourselves still fail to trust God, even though He has been there for us in the past?

Commentary:

 “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

This is the refrain in the Mass and it is a call to humility. It is the same call made by those who hope to bring back sinners, an appeal to listen for God’s voice and not to allow their hearts to become calloused and insensitive.

“…let us acclaim the rock of our salvation”

Last week we saw Jesus confer the name “rock” onto Peter. Here we read about how the Lord Himself is characterized as a mighty rock – stable and trustworthy in an uncertain world.

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; …let us kneel before the LORD who made us“

Because of He is our creator and because He is faithful, God deserves thanksgiving.

As well as being the Creator of the entire world, the Lord is also a special “maker” of the People of Israel.

“…and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides”

Kings at that time were also commonly called shepherds. Here the psalmist describes the Lord as a shepherd, something which Jesus would later confirm in declaring Himself to be the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21).

“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.”

This is referring to the time of rebellion by the Children of Israel in the desert (Exodus 17:1-7). “Meribah” means “quarreling” and “Massah” means “testing”.

The word “tempt” in the above verse really means “test”.

“…they tested me…”

The psalmist here shifts into the first person, representing God.

“…though they had seen my works”

By this point in Israel’s journey God had (1) freed them from Egypt, (2) parted the Red Sea and (3) provided them food in the desert (Exodus 16). What more proof of God’s goodness did they need?!

 

Reading II: Romans 13:8-10

After exhorting the Romans to be subject to government authorities, St. Paul exhorts his readers to an even greater act of humility and obedience – to love one another…

Brothers and sisters: 

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 

The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, ” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Possible Questions:

• What do you think it means to owe someone love?
• Why does Paul say that “the one who loves another has fulfilled the law”?
• How does this passage relate to the First Reading and, in particular, to the Gospel?

Commentary:

“Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another…”

Our debt of love is always outstanding and can never be paid off, in a way that is expressed in the phrase “I am forever in your debt”. We owe love because of God’s love for us and for our neighbour.

“…for the one who loves…”

St. Paul wrote earlier in the letter:

“In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:4

So it is clear that we can only love in this way through the help of the Spirit.

“love one another…your neighbour”

Jesus clarifies who our “neighbour” is, providing the broadest possible meaning:

“‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’” – Luke 10:36-37

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” – Matthew 5:44

So, we are called to love those in need, whether Christian or not, and even love our enemies.

“…the law”

This is the Mosaic law

“The commandments, ‘You shall not…’…”

St. Paul now explains the relationship between the Law of Moses and the New Law of the New Covenant. He distills into one commandment four of the commandments from the Decalogue  (Exodus 20:13-17).

This commandment wasn’t actually that new:

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:18

So that single commandment is also found in the Pentateuch.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”

It is a natural instinct to love yourself and to seek what is best. This commandment refocuses this upon others.

“Love does no evil to the neighbor”

This is the reason that love fulfills the Law.

 

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

Following last week’s Gospel Reading, we skip over the text concerning the Transfiguration and move instead onto Jesus’ teaching about “Church discipline”. The Lord explains how disputes should be resolved within the Church:

(1) speak to the person alone
(2) speak to the person with some witnesses
(3) take it to the church
(4) exclude that person (excommunication)

I’ve heard this passage described  by some people as “the process you have to go through to kick someone out of the Church”. However, this rather misses the point the passage. The entire purpose of this process is to “win back your brother”!

The context of this passage confirms this. The section immediately prior to this passage is the Parable of the Lost Sheep and afterwards Jesus tells Peter he should forgive his brother infinitely (“seventy-seven times [seven]”) and then Christ tells the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. God is merciful and seeks to restore the lost – we should too. We’ll pick up on this theme again next week.

Like Ezekiel, we have a certain obligation to correct the sin we find in our “brother”. Correction someone is loving our neighbour as ourselves, as St. Paul describes in the Second Reading. Here is what St. Augustine has to say on the matter:

“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” – St. Augustine, Sermon 82.7

However, this must be done extremely carefully and tempered with mercy and humility, for fear that we attempt to take the “speck” out of our brother’s eye and fail to notice the “log” in our own Matthew 7:1-6.

The second section of this Gospel builds upon the Gospel of two weeks ago when Jesus gave Peter the keys of the Kingdom. Although the Prime Minister in the Kingdom had the most power, all of the cabinet ministers had power to “bind” and “loose”. In this second part of the Gospel Jesus grants this authority to His disciples.

But perhaps the link between the two sections of this week’s Gospel extend beyond simply that of Church authority. The final step Jesus outlines in the steps for fraternal correction is separation from the impenitent. Yet, in the next breath he talks about the power of prayer. I think we can take the lesson from this that, although we may have to part from someone who stubbornly refuses to be corrected, we should nonetheless continue to pray for that person and place our faith in the promises of Jesus.

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.”

Possible Questions:

• Have you had experiences of conflict within the Church?
• How have you handled it?
• What issue is Jesus addressing in today’s passage?
• How does this connect to the First Reading?
• What are the steps of the process He describes? What wisdom do you find here?
• Why not just jump to the last step of the process?
• What is our responsibility here?
• What authority does Christ give to the Church?
• What does it mean to “treat him as…a Gentile or a tax collector”?
• What does Jesus mean when He talks about “bind[ing]” and “loos[ing]”?
• What are the promises Jesus gives?

Commentary:

“…your brother…”

In Greek word here is “adelphos” – it means any fellow believer.

“…tell him his fault between you and him alone…take one or two others along with you…tell the church“

These are the steps to follow in attempting to restore your brother. If this fails and your brother resists correction, the Church leaders may exercise the authority given to them by Christ. The disciplining of the impenitent will be backed by the Father. All steps in this process, even the final one, is an attempt to bring the prodigal home.

CCC #1463: Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them. In danger of death any priest, even if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, can absolve from every sin and excommunication.

There was community discipline in the Old Covenant as well:

“‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed…” – Leviticus 19:17-19

“…tell him his fault between you and him alone…”

This is gentle fraternal correction for that person’s good. The matter is kept as private as possible to reduce scandal, humiliation and the creeping in of pride. Here is another section from St. Augustine’s sermon:

“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” – St. Augustine, Sermon 82.7

“…take one or two others along with you…”

In the Old Covenant of Israel, this was the criteria for testimony in the courts:

“One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” – Deuteronomy 19:15

The very fact that Jesus says this emphasizes that the Church is the New Israel of the New Covenant:

“Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God” – Galatians 6:16

Paul cites this same teaching at the end of his second letter to the church at Corinth:

“This will be my third visit to you. ‘Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you” – 2 Corinthians 13:1-3

Also, there may be significance in what Jesus later goes on to say about the power of “two or three” gathered in His name. Going to the impenitent with two or three witnesses has the capability of bringing the Lord to that person in a special way.

“…church…”

As noted last week, this is one of three places the word is mentioned in the Gospels. In contrast to Matthew 16:18, the “church” being described here is predominantly the local congregation, although this is obviously connected with the universal Church.

“…treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector”

Tax collectors and Gentiles were the people that first-century Jews despised. They regarded them as “unclean” and would typically shun them. Tax collectors were especially hated as they were local men employed by the occupying Roman force to collect taxes for Rome. They were seen as collaborators and invariably corrupt. Yet, it is worth noting that these were the people that Jesus ate with! Return and reconciliation are always possible.

The emphasis of this verse is on separation. We saw similar exhortations in St. Ignatius of Antioch:

“I am warning you in advance of those beasts in human form whom you should not receive and, if possible, whom you should avoid” – Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans

In St. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians we see this practiced in the Early Church:

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—  not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you'” – 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

It is important to note that even this excommunication is meant to be an act of love to bring the impenitent to correction and reconciliation.

“…whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven…”

This is similar to when Jesus gave Peter the keys. The other royal ministers in the Kingdom also have authority, albeit subordinate to the Prime Minister’s. As it was noted last week, this “bind[ing]” and “loos[ing]” has several connotations:

1. The “binding” interpretations of the Law by the Rabbis
2. The inclusion or exclusion of members of the community
3. The forgiveness of sins

In the New Covenant, item (3) will manifest itself in the Sacramental of Reconciliation:

“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” – John 20:23

The word “loose” is translated as “freed” in the book of Revelation:

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” – Revelation 1:5

This association between “loosing” and “freeing” is also found in the Early Church Fathers.