From: Matthew 18:15-20

Fraternal Correction. The Apostles’ Authority

(Jesus said to His disciples), [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 gained
your brother. [16] But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with
you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnes-
ses. [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuses
to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
[18] Truly, 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 I say to
you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it shall be done for
them by My Father in Heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered in My
name, there am I in the midst of them.”

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Commentary:

15-17. Here our Lord calls on us to work with Him for the sanctification of others
by means of fraternal correction, which is one of the ways we can do so. He
speaks as sternly about the sin of omission as He did about that of scandal (cf.
Chrysostom, “Hom. on St. Matthew”, 61).

There is an obligation on us to correct others. Our Lord identifies three stages
in correction: 1) alone; 2) in the presence of one or two witnesses; and 3) before
the Church. The first stage refers to giving scandal and to secret or private sins;
here correction should be given privately, just to the person himself, to avoid un-
necessarily publicizing a private matter and also to avoid hurting the person and
to make it easier for him to mend his ways. If this correction does not have the
desired effect, and the matter is a serious one, resort should be had to the se-
cond stage—looking for one or two friends, in case they have more influence on
him. The last stage is formal judicial correction by reference to the Church au-
thorities. If a sinner does not accept this correction, he should be excommuni-
cated; that is, separated from communion with the Church and Sacraments.

18. This verse needs to be understood in connection with the authority previous-
ly promised to Peter (cf. Matthew 16:13-19): it is the hierarchy of the Church
that exercises this power given by Christ to Peter, to the Apostles and their
lawful successors — the Pope and the Bishops.

19-20. “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est: where charity and love resides, there
God is”, the Holy Thursday liturgy intones, drawing its inspiration from the sa-
cred text of 1 John 4:12. For it is true that love is inconceivable if there is only
one person: it implies the presence of two or more (cf. Aquinas, “Commentary
on St. Matthew”, 18:19-20). And so it is that when Christians meet together in
the name of Christ for the purpose of prayer, our Lord is present among them,
pleased to listen to the unanimous prayer of His disciples: “All those with one
accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the
mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). This is why the Church from the very beginning
has practiced communal prayer (cf. Acts 12:5). There are religious practices—
few, short, daily “that have always been lived in Christian families and which I
think are marvelous—grace at meals, morning and night prayers, the family ro-
sary (even though nowadays this devotion to our Lady has been criticized by
some people). Customs vary from place to place, but I think one should always
encourage some acts of piety which the family can do together in a simple and
natural fashion” (St. J. Escriva, “Conversations”, 103).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 ©

Leaving the plains of Moab, Moses went up Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land; Gilead 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, and the stretch of the Valley of Jericho, city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.’ There in the land of Moab, Moses the servant of the Lord died as the Lord decreed; he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but to this day no one has ever found his grave. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye undimmed, his vigour unimpaired. The sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. The days of weeping for the mourning rites of Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. It was he that the sons of Israel obeyed, carrying out the order that the Lord had given to Moses.

Since then, never has there been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the man the Lord knew face to face. What signs and wonders the Lord caused him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole land! How mighty the hand and great the fear that Moses wielded in the sight of all Israel!

Psalm
Psalm 65:1-3,5,16-17 ©

Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.

Cry out with joy to God all the earth,

O sing to the glory of his name.

O render him glorious praise.

Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!’

Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.

Come and see the works of God,

tremendous his deeds among men.

Come and hear, all who fear God.

I will tell what he did for my soul:

to him I cried aloud,

with high praise ready on my tongue.

Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.

Gospel Acclamation	Ps110:7,8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure;

they stand firm for ever and ever.

Alleluia!

Or	2Co5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,

and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 18:15-20 ©

Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.

‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.

‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth 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 shall be there with them.’