Sunday 6 September 2026
Lectio
Divina:*
(See also Luke 17:3)
Meditatio:
For where two or three are gathered in my name, I
am there among them.’ (Matthew
18:20)
Commentary:
Today's Gospel comes from a section of Matthew concerned with life within the Christian community. Written at a time when the early Church was emerging amid persecution, division and uncertainty, it addresses a persistent question: how do Christians deal with sin, conflict and reconciliation?
The First Reading from Ezekiel provides an important key.
God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel. If he fails to warn the wicked,
he shares responsibility for their downfall. The prophet's duty is not to
condemn but to call people back to life. In a similar way, Jesus teaches that
disciples have a responsibility for one another. Genuine love sometimes
requires difficult conversations.
If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. (Matthew 18:15)
This is the starting point of what the Christian tradition
calls fraternal correction. None of us sees all our own faults. We need others
who care enough to speak the truth with charity. Such correction must never be
motivated by pride, anger or a desire to control. It must seek the good of the
other person and the restoration of communion.
At the same time, receiving correction is rarely easy. We
may feel hurt, misunderstood or defensive. Yet humility requires us to consider
whether God may be speaking through another person.
But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. (Matthew 18:16)
Jesus proposes a measured and careful process. Before
involving others, every effort is made to protect the dignity and reputation of
the person involved. The goal is always healing, not humiliation. The appeal to
witnesses reflects the wisdom of Jewish tradition and guards against personal
bias or misunderstanding.
St Paul's words to the Galatians echo this spirit: ‘My
friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received
the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that
you yourselves are not tempted’ (Galatians 6:1).
If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Matthew 18:17)
Sometimes persistent wrongdoing damages the whole community.
Love for both the individual and the community can require firm action. Recent
failures by Church leaders to address abuse scandals remind us how costly it is
when responsibility is neglected. The vulnerable must be protected at all costs
and wrongdoing dealt with promptly. Ezekiel's warning remains relevant: silence
in the face of serious evil is not charity.
In the second reading St Paul teaches that love is the
fulfilment of the law: ‘Love does no wrong to a neighbour.’ Fraternal
correction is therefore not opposed to love; it is one of love's demands. To
ignore harmful behaviour when we have a responsibility to address it may be
easier, but it is not always loving.
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:18-19)
In Matthew's Gospel, authority within the Church is never
merely personal power. Christ entrusted a unique pastoral role to Peter (in Matthew
16:18-19), while also giving the apostolic community authority to bind and
loose in service of truth, reconciliation and communion (Matthew 18:18-19).
Authority in the Church exists to build up the Body of Christ and not to
dominate it.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ (Matthew 18:20)
This is the heart of the passage. Christ is present whenever
believers gather in faith, prayer and love. Families praying together, friends
encouraging one another, parish groups discerning God's will, Christians
working for justice and reconciliation: all can become places of Christ's
presence.
The promise is both consoling and challenging. If Christ is
truly among us, then our conversations, decisions and relationships matter. The
ordinary encounters of daily life become opportunities for grace.
Ezekiel reminds us of our responsibility to one another.
Paul reminds us that love is the measure of every action. Jesus shows us how
those two truths come together: speaking the truth in charity, seeking
reconciliation and gathering in his name so that his presence may transform us
and our communities.
As we go through this week, we might ask: Where do I
encounter Christ when ‘two or three’ gather in his name? And is there someone
whom love is calling me either to correct gently or to forgive generously?
Some
extras:
Collect
of the Word for this Sunday (Church of Ireland)
O Lord God, enliven and preserve your Church with your
perpetual mercy. Without your help, we
mortals will fail; remove far from us everything that is harmful, and lead us
toward all that gives life and salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour and
Lord.
Post-Communion prayer (Roman Catholic missal of 1970)
Lord, your word and your sacrament give us food and life. May this gift of your Son lead us to share
his life for ever. We ask this through
Christ our Lord.
Private prayer after Holy Communion
(from The Family Missal and Prayer Book of the Church of
the Holy Spirit, Ballyroan, Dublin, 1976)
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Way, the Truth and the Life, give
me courage to follow your way. Help me
to treasure my friendships. They are few enough. The fall of a fellow Christian is not a
matter for indifference or resentment. Grant
me the tact and compassion to prevent the fall of a brother; to settle
differences among friends; to make peace; especially in my own home. When my family and my friends meet in your
name, we are not alone.
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