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 witnesses.
[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 unneces-
sarily 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 de-
sired effect, and the matter is a serious one, resort should be had to the second
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 authorities.
If a sinner does not accept this correction, he should be excommunicated; that
is, separated from communion with the Church and Sacraments.

18. This verse needs to be understood in connection with the authority previously
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” ([Blessed] 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.

Mass Readings

First reading	Ezekiel 33:7 - 9 ©
Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name. If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.

First reading

Ezekiel 33:7 - 9 ©

Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name. If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 94

Second reading	Romans 13:8 - 10 ©
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.

Second reading

Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.

Gospel	Matthew 18:15 - 20 ©
Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is 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.’

Gospel

Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is 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.’