St. Jone Frances de Chantal, religious 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22*

Yahweh shouted loudly in my ears saying,

“The punishment of the city is near; see each one of these has in his hand his instrument of de­struction.” And six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each one with his instrument of destruction. With them was a man clothed in linen with writing material at his side. They came and stopped near the altar of bronze.

 Then the Glory of the God of Israel rose from the cherubim where it rested and went to the threshold of the house. Yahweh called to the man clothed in linen who had the material for writing at his side, and he said to him, “Pass through the center of the city, through Jerusalem, and trace a cross on the forehead of the men who sigh and groan because of all the abominations committed in it.”

I heard him say to the others, “Now you may pass through the city after him and strike. Your eyes shall not look with pity; show no mercy! Do away with them all – old men, young men, virgins, children and women – but do not touch anyone marked with a cross.”

And as they were told to be­gin with the sanctuary, they struck the elders who were in front of the Temple. Yahweh said to them, “Let the courts be filled with the slain and the Temple be defiled with their blood; go out!”  They went and slew the people in the city. (……)

 

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

The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 18:15-20

  If your brother or sister has sinned against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are in private, and if he listens to you, you have won your brother. If you are not listened to, take with you one or two others so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 

If he still refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard such a one as a pagan or a publican.  I say to you: whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.

 In like manner, I say to you: if on earth two of you are united in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered in my Name, I am there among them.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

When you call a third party to settle conflict with a brother, you no longer take him as a brother.  He becomes a third party as well. When this happens, you no longer aim at healing the wounds between both of you.

You actually ask someone else to a add injury to the wounds. At that, you are not winning that brother, you are making him an adversary. If there is a third party we can rely on in healing fraternal conflicts, it is Jesus.

If Jesus dwells in us, he is not a third party, but someone making us just one party. The core of Christian community is this unity of two or three in Christ’s bond and presence. This is how we understand Jesus being married to His Church . it is not to make members perfect, but to be perfect for each other.