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Message of the Day
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It is not the objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really after, and that is also, I think, the miracle that we really get.
- Frederick Buechner (The "experience of God's presence:" let this be your deepest longing.)
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Readings of the Day
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EZ 9:1-7; 10:18-22
PS 113:1-2, 3-4,
5-6
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." USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in their midst.” —Matthew 18:20 The body of Christ has been split between Orthodox and Catholic
for almost 1000 years. Protestants separated from Catholics about 500 years ago. Then Protestants splintered into thousands of denominations. We’ve always lived in a severely divided Church, in Christ’s terribly broken Body. We have learned to live with disunity. It’s difficult for us to fathom Jesus’ high-priestly prayer that we become one as He and the Father are one (Jn 17:21). However, the Lord is calling us to “make every effort to
preserve the unity” we have and restore the unity we’ve lost (Eph 4:3; cf 1 Cor 1:10). We must leave our gift at the altar and go to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters (Mt 5:23ff). We have the responsibility to correct those who have wronged us and also be open to correction if we have wronged others (see Mt 18:15). Moreover, we must be peacemakers (Mt 5:9), ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18), and witnesses (Mt 18:16) in order to help others resolve their disagreements. If
necessary, we should call on our pastors to bring about unity in problem situations (Mt 18:17). . . These means for restoring unity may seem extreme, but not if we have Jesus’ heart for His broken Body, the Church. Prayer: Father, may I be willing to pray daily and even give my life to re-unite Your Church (see That They Be One, Pope St. John Paul II,
102). Promise: “From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the Lord to be praised.” —Ps 113:3 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part Three, Gift of the Spirit Chapter : The Holy Spirit and Christian
Theology - Selected quotes
It’s obvious from the Acts of the Apostles and from Paul’s writings that the early Christians believed that Jesus had initiated a new covenant between God and humanity. Unlike the old covenant, which was ritualized with sacrifice, which included circumcision and
emphasized fidelity to the Law, the new covenant was established through the sacrificial death of Jesus. To enter into this new order of life with God, one was instructed in the basics of the faith and then baptized in water in the name of Jesus (some places used a Trinitarian formula). Keeping the old Jewish Laws brought no advantage whatsoever; faith in Christ was considered the “way” to “plug-in,” as it were, into the new life that Christ made available to the human race.
There’s much discussion about all this in Paul’s writings; the primacy of faith over keeping the Law was championed by him, largely because of his conviction that the Old Covenant has been replaced, or, rather, “updated,” in Christ.
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