Articles

Sunday September 6

TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Care for Your Wounded Brother or Sister

Greeting

Jesus tells us today:
Where two are three have come together in my name,
there I am among them.
We are here in his name
and so he is among us.
May he always stay with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

If we really are the Church, we are a community around Christ and we are brothers and sisters to one another. That means: we love one another, we accept and serve one another so much that we also have the courage to correct one another when our brother or sister errs. He or she is my concern because that person is my brother or sister. Let us pray with the Lord Jesus here among us that we may have that courage, and that our brothers or sisters may accept the help we offer to set them free.

Penitential Act

Do we love enough the Lord and one another,
and the community of the Lord,
to help one another when one goes astray?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you hold us responsible
for a brother or sister who errs:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you hold us responsible
for the unity and integrity of the Church:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you hold us responsible
for reconciliation not only in the Church
but even in the world at large:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
Make us aware of our own weakness
and give us the courage to help those who err.
Lead us all to everlasting life. R/ Amen

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God our Father
that we may sustain one another on the way to him
(pause)
Lord God, our Father,
your Son Jesus Christ has brought us together
as a community of sinners who know
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,
that he may be always with us,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

First Reading: A Guard of One’s Brothers and Sisters

Like a watchman on the look-out for the enemy, the prophet must warn his people against evil and every Christian must warn his or her neighbor.

Reading 1: EZ 33:7-9

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.

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

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.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Second Reading: Love Sums Up All the Commandments

Love one another as you love yourself. If you do this, says St. Paul, you have fulfilled the law. For love is the motive and the spirit of all the commandments.

Reading 2: ROM 13:8-10

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.

Alleluia 2 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.

Gospel: Help Those Who Err

A Christian sense of responsibility for one another demands that, with firmness yet love, we help those who err. If one does not succeed, let the community help, for the Church should be a place of reconciliation.

Gospel: MT 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."

Commentary

Confronting with Love
The Gospel today makes fraternal correction, confronting one who has done wrong sound easy, but it is far from it. The matter of trying to modify the behavior of another which seems destructive is a very difficult and sensitive one. I would like to discuss one aspect of this difficulty today and share how meditation might help.
Once, Fr. Roger Champoux, S.J., the director of a testing and guidance center in Manila, gave a reflection on his experience in his work to the convention of religious superiors. While he was talking mostly about seminarians, from my parish experience with students and families in general, I believe that his observations have more general application. He said, "Frequently we encounter people who are not too happy with their superiors. Quite often we are dealing with an unresolved problem of authority and aggression. Two seeming opposite patters stand out as more frequent: an excess compliance towards people in authority, or an attitude of excessive independence or even rebelliousness. We see some who seem to function quite well but only as long as they are allowed to do their own thing without any interference. Try to bring them into a common task demanding cooperation, and right away the conflicts emerge, sometimes explosively. Compliance and rebelliousness seem opposite - yet, submissiveness breeds resentment, which may come out in the open in the form of explosive anger. We have all had this experience of a meek and quiet person who suddenly becomes red with anger to the surprise of all present. Or of this quiet and humble person, who, when slightly challenged, comes out with the hostile and final statement, 'You do not trust me, you have never trusted me.'
"The following pattern, which we have found among a good number of seminarians through a research done a few years ago, can perhaps throw some light on this problem of authority. This typical pattern has the following ingredients: First a longing for love and acceptance from an understanding but strong father figure. Second a great sensitivity to any attitude of this father figure that is not fully accepting and approving. This reflects a certain defect in the early formation of one's sense of masculine selfhood through identification with a strong and loving father - hence now both the yearning and the accompanying sensitivity. But his puts the superior in a bind: to be good and nice without confrontation: or to hide behind one's authority so as to avoid the tensions of a more realistic and sometimes painful interpersonal encounter. It is not easy for the superior to blend the two: to be both very understanding, and yet to remain challenging when needed."This situation arises especially in a culture where there is great emphasis on parental authority. Often something is seen as right because authority has said it rather an authority verifying very thoroughly that something is right before saying it. Disagreement is seen as defiance of authority. The normal flexing of muscles that teenagers engage in by challenging their parents is crushed as insubordination. When the normal signs of transition from childhood into adulthood are treated as major sins rather than as being indications of a normal process of growth the results can be most destructive. When demure deference is demanded it may lead to a buildup deep down in the person of deadly anger and defiance. Fraternal correction in this situation becomes very complicated. Who was most at fault, the parent or the child? Now when a boss at work or a superior in a seminary tries to offer guidance there will be transference of the repressed anger towards the original parent on to the new father figure. And what if the new father figure does not understand this anger and again tries to crush it as insubordination?
The Gospel today says that we should go and talk to the person that is causing the hurt. We should stop talking about the person and talk to the person. There is a risk here and it calls for courage. Often a little honest talking can clear the air.
The spirit in which the confrontation takes place is very important. It must not be done in anger. This would merely be to vent out our passion. It must be done out of loving concern to help the other person and not to appease our own wounded pride or our desire to get even.
If the person does not respond to the private confrontation in love, then the Gospel says it is time to get the advice and help of others in the community. This must be done with gentleness and sensitivity for the deep hurts and feelings of all concerned. All too often I have seen well-meaning efforts to make enemies shake hands, which causes only more pain because the parties were not yet ready for such a reconciliation.
Now what has prayer - the main concern of this reflection got to do with this process of confronting in love? It has, I think, a great lot to do with disposing towards a positive or negative outcome. As my earlier quote pointed out, behavior that authority disapproves can often be found where a person has moved from the docility of a frightened child into open or hidden defiance. The behavior and the sensitivity that accompanies it is only a symptom of the deeper anger. In this case our traditional ways of prayer would have us ask God to change the other. The supervisor may pray that he will be successful in bringing about a change of heart in the offending one. The offending one may be praying that this oppressive authority will get off his or her back. Both are praying that their own will may be done and they will be successful in fulfilling their own desires.
Meditation, on the other hand, is totally poor before God. It is to be empty and silent without desires of any kind. One cannot continue to be silent and to be dishonest. The silence of meditation may create a space in which the one correcting may become aware of his or her insecurity and the need it produces to control and direct. The person "at fault" may come to see how his or her behavior is a reaction formation, an overreaction to a situation which brings back the hurts experienced in a past situation. With this realization there will be a freedom to look at the situation holistically and reasonably. The person may become free enough to respond rather than to just react to the situation or the confrontation.
The Gospel today tells us "where two or three are gathered in my name, I shall be there with them." I dare to suggest that often when we come together to pray we are not gathered in his name that his will be done but we are gathered in our name that our will be done. On the other hand, when we try to meditate we just be in His presence, without words or desires. We create a space we are better equipped to confront others in a very humble love, and if we are the ones erring to hear the words of loving confrontation with great joy and gratitude.

Intercessions

Jesus tells us today: If two of you agree to ask something, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. So we pray together to our Father, and we say:
R/ Lord we are certain you will hear us.

– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that it may always be a place of reconciliation and the guardian of life and of all that is good; that its leaders too may always have the courage to call evil by its name, let us pray:
R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
– For all those whom God has entrusted to one another: our Christian families, our towns and cities, people who work together, and all communities, that love may inspire us to deal with one another with frankness and honesty, let us pray:
R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
– For all those who suffer from violence and injustice, from prejudice, discrimination and hatred, that they may not become bitter, and that the victims of these forms of violence may still be capable of forgiving wholeheartedly, let us pray:
R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
– For us here in this community, that we may not condemn or write off one another but learn to bear each other’s shortcomings and to protect each other’s reputation, let us pray:
R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.

God our Father, with your Son among us we pray: help us to believe in the goodness of each person and to be patient with one another, as you have been good to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

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
and learn to live with each other.
We offer you our good will
and ask you for the strength
to welcome one another
in Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

We remember how the Father sent us Jesus his Son when, by committing sin, we had broken our friendship with God. Jesus shed his blood to bring us back to the Father. Let us thank God for his love.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

With Jesus present in our midst,
we pray with him the prayer
which he taught us. R/ Our Father...

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on your sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and help us to not to tie our brothers and sisters
to their sins and past mistakes.
Grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
The peace of the Lord be with you always. R/ And also with you.
Let us express now in our greeting of peace
how we want to be with one another
honest, forgiving and helping. R/ Amen.

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world
and who shed his blood on the cross for us.
Happy are we to be invited
to his meal of reconciling love. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
your Son 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
and you have been good to us
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

With Jesus among us,
at least when we are aware he is with us,
we can make our community
a place where we can speak freely to each other
and help those in trouble
to keep them in the community
or to win them back
and offer them new chances.
For we know that we are responsible for one another.
May God give us this openness and courage
and bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
May God be with you and keep you in his love. R/ Thanks be to God.