Articles

Wednesday August 12

Wednesday of 19th Week of Ordinary Time

CARRYING ONE ANOTHER

Introduction

The holiness of God can stand no evil, as Ezekiel proclaims to an unfaithful people; only those marked with the sign of God, those personally responding to his offer of salvation, will be spared. And yet, this holy God is also a forgiving God, as we have all experienced. What would we do without forgiveness?
What if my brother or sister goes astray? One of the most difficult and delicate tasks is to bring a brother or sister back when he or she errs. It is a duty, but one that requires courage and at the same time much tact, the right moment and the right disposition on both sides. It is my concern, because he or she is my brother or sister, vulnerable as I am, and wounded.

Opening Prayer

God of mercy and compassion,
your Son Jesus Christ has brought us together
as a community of sinners
that knows that you have pardoned us.
When our weaknesses threaten our unity,
remind us of our responsibility for one another.
Let your unifying Spirit give us the strength
to care for one another
and to do all we can to remain
a living, forgiving and welcoming community
where we keep meeting in the name of Jesus,
our Lord, now and for ever.

First Reading: Ezk 9:1-7

Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.” And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.

Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Speak, O Lord, your servant is listening;
You have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Mt 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Commentary

Punishment for the sinful Israelites was to be definitive and widespread. Only those marked were to be spared, the faithful ones who lamented the widespread abandonment of the Lord. This is accompanied by the glory of the Lord leaving the temple area and carried aloft by the cherubim. It is a picture of desolation and immense loss.
In the church, serious effort is made to save everyone who is in danger of exclusion. On both a personal and communal level, there are obstinate and hostile souls. Their failure to be in accord with the church merits exclusion and excommunication. But this is to be a last measure, taken only after the utilization of established means to solve the problem have been exhausted.
Most of us wince at the thought of any widespread elimination of people. Part of that is due to the fact that in our lifetime we have seen more than enough extermination of people, most of them innocent of any wrongdoing. We remain deeply attached to the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. We want to do all that we can before any censure, automatic or imposed, falls upon someone. Yet, in the Gospel today, the steps are clearly outlined, to make contrition possible.
Lord, touch the hearts of serious wrongdoers. And give us a deep sense of concern for their spiritual well-being.

Points to Ponder

God’s punishment in the Old Testament
Forgiveness: a central theme in the New Testament
Understanding excommunication as a last resort

Intercessions

– For all those God has entrusted to one another: our Christian families, our towns and cities, people who work together, and all our communities, that love may inspire us to deal with one another with frankful tact and respect, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may believe in the goodness of each person and be patient with one another, we pray:
– For our communities, that we may often pray together in the name of Jesus for the needs of the world and the Church, for Christ assures us that our prayer will be heard, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
you bring together at the table of your Son
the weak with the strong, the sick with the healthy.
Let your Son fill us here
with the fullness of his presence
that we may accept one another
to live with one another in peace and friendship.
We offer you our good will
and ask you for the strength
to welcome each other in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
your Son Jesus has been in our midst
and he has strengthened us with his body and blood.
He made our wounds of sin his wounds and healed them.
Let the wounds of our brothers and sisters
become ours, their joys our happiness.
Let your Son teach us the art
of bringing those who err back to you
and into our communities
without embittering or humiliating them,
without any feeling of superiority,
but simply because they are our brothers and sisters
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

We know we are responsible for one another. Our community should be a place where we can speak freely to one another and help those in trouble to keep them in the community or to win them back. May God give you this openness and courage, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.