ISN’T HE AMAZING?

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” – Matthew 18:20

       I looked out the window and saw a big storm coming. My heart skipped a beat because I knew we must hurry home. Otherwise, we would surely be stranded.

       We were a group of four coming from an appointment in Manila on our way home to Quezon City where we live. We were riding a rundown car and I was afraid that if we would have to pass through flooded streets, we could get stuck in the middle of a raging storm.

       Then God showed us a miracle.

       As we plowed through a flooded street, the four of us prayed fervently using the gift of tongues. Our car was almost floating and water was entering the car, but we kept on. We trusted that God would see us through.

    And He did. We reached dry land and got home safely. Marisa Aguas (jojangaguas@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Do you have a need that is aching in your heart right now? Pray with a friend or group of friends. Together, storm heaven with prayers. If it will be good for you, and it is in accordance with God’s will, He will grant your prayer request.

Dear God, You said that if two or three are gathered in Your name, You dwell in the midst of them. Along with my friends and my community, I lift up to You the concern in my heart. If it is in accordance with Your will, please grant my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

St. Thomas of Villanova, pray for us.

We all have responsibilities. No one can live without them. What we have to ensure is that we keep them. If we do our part in any given situation, then we cannot be held responsible for the choices of others. If we set a bad example or fail to live out our responsibilities, then we will be held responsible, if not immediately then on the Day of Judgment.

7 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. 8 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. 9 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.

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

1 Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalm to him. (R) 6 Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. (R) Oh, that today you would hear his voice: 8 “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.” (R)

If we truly love, then we will not break the Commandments. People who argue that they are doing the loving thing but are disobeying the Commandments are mistaken. It is impossible to love in the true sense of the word and then break the Commandments. It is as simple as that. “Doing the loving thing” has become a catchphrase that people use to rationalize actions that are wrong but which they seemingly cannot help doing.

8 Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 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.” 10 Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Jesus is not necessarily outlining a strict set of practices for correcting someone but He is saying that we need to take seriously any sinful act that we witness. In the Early Church, and to a certain extent still today, there are acts which cause automatic exclusion from the faith community. People were often banished from their homes and communities if they refused to repent and change their ways. This was done to protect the remaining members of the community.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

15 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. 16 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.’ 17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

think: How do you normally resolve a conflict with another?

Read the Bible in one year Psalm 81-85

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

THREE-STEP FRATERNAL

CORRECTION

Secured in his own ivory tower, man still has the capacity to accomplish great things. Novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand says: “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not the desire to beat others.” But greater things are achieved when things are done in collaboration with others. Today’s Gospel illustrates that the counsel of others is necessary. The flow is between two persons first, then you gather two to three witnesses, and then you go to the church. If the person does not listen, then it is no longer your fault.

       Why go through this process? In Christian spirituality, it is called fraternal correction. Fraternal correction is a brotherly feedback given to the one at fault, with the primary intention of helping him. It is never the intention of fraternal correction to judge and criticize. When you skip a step by immediately proceeding to the church, there is a danger of fault-finding or of judging the other.

       Jesus knows this basic lesson of listening to counsel and advice. It was not an accident that He was born into a family or that He gathered His own community. Why is that? Because there is wisdom in listening to someone’s advice; there is beauty in a family, with members living their own idiosyncrasies; there is creativity in discerning as a community.

       Jesus’ assurance is strong: “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Are you open to listen? Are you open to criticism? Are you open to discern? When you listen to advice, nothing is taken away from you, nothing is wasted. In fact, you become wiser as Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.” If you insist on doing it alone, you become a fool. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).

       Do you listen to the voices of your family or community members? Or are you just on your own? Fr. Wen Amit, OCD

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

How do you normally settle a conflict with another person? Next time you have one, try following the three-step process described in the Gospel today.

Dearest Father, teach me to resolve my conflicts in a godly way, Your way. Amen.