Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Jesus Teaches Us How

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." Matthew 18:15-20

Reflection:

It's sad that today when we are confronted with our faults and failures, we refuse to listen to those who come to us, to help us see the error of our ways. In today's Gospel reading Jesus tells us to do exactly this with one another. Then he tells us to go to the next step, and that would be to the Church.

My family did this when I refused to see what another was causing me. They went to have prayers said on my behalf. They loved me enough to have many, many prayers said by those in prayer groups, or have Masses said. They went as Jesus asked of us, to go to the Church.

Many have done this too in situations that seemed as if no one is listening, and found prayers answered. So in today's Gospel when Jesus also says, where two or three are gathered together in his name, there he shall be among them.

It is not difficult to understand, what Jesus tells us about prayer for those who do not listen when we reach out to help them see their errors. How when we agree on prayer for help the Father will answer. It's just very sad when instead of praying for those who need help we sweep it under the proverbial rug, hoping the problem would soon disappear. That is when God brings it to light to reveal where we err.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this wonderful posting. It reminds me of how most of us pray, myself included: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen...Oh Lord gimme, gimme, gimme. Gimme this and gimme that and gimme everything!"

God inhabits the praises of His people. If we truly want Jesus present in our lives, we should praise Him morning, noon and night.

Marie Cecile said...

Amen!