If you say these words to your friends all the time, do you think they’d love to hang out with you? Definitely not! So why do you sometimes talk this way to yourself?

The second greatest commandment says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It means you can only love your neighbor to the extent that you love yourself.

People make mistakes. People make wrong decisions. People sin. And you’re not exempted. If we want this world to be a better place, we need to be patient with one another, especially with ourselves.

Wanna be more loving like Jesus? Start by being kinder and gentler to yourself. Go easy on you. Velden Lim (veldenlim.firedup@gmail.com)

Reflect:

How are you treating others lately? Check how you treat yourself first.

Jesus, may I see myself the way You lovingly see me.

St. Peter Martinez, pray for us.

Quite often, the names for roles in the spiritual life come from the different jobs and vocations necessary for society to run smoothly. The concept of a “watchman” is derived from the job of a person who stands on the hill or another vantage point and watches out for any invading forces. In the spiritual life, we are all watchmen: we need to be on the lookout for moral indiscretions that have a detrimental effect on the life of our community.

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.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

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) ⁸ Oh, that today you would hear his voice: “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)

Second Reading | Romans 13:8-10

Paul exhorts us to have no debts except the debt of love for our neighbor. His focus on love is a result of the importance of love in the life of the Christian: love is essential to everything. Based on the Gospel truths, love is the standard by which we judge our actions. Let us reflect this love in the way we live.

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.

Gospel | Matthew 18:15-20

The responsibility to correct one another is rooted in our love for each other. Jesus always speaks the truth to those around Him, even if it meant correcting someone’s faults or sins. If we truly love and care for one another, we will take on even the difficult task of bringing back a brethren to the right path.

Gospel Acclamation

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.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read PSALMS 86 - 90 today.

Today’s Gospel talks about fraternal correction—the Christian way. For Jesus, it is best to resolve the issue between the persons involved. Only when they cannot arrive at a reconciliation should they resolve to mediation. A third party trusted by both sides would help them settle the issue while manage its spread at the same time. If that’s still not enough, the community is the last resort.

It is not easy to do. One time, I reached out to a friend with whom I had a a great misunderstanding. It resulted in an emotional but peaceful reconciliation. We were both apologetic about what happened. We owned our faults and decided to make peace and be more understanding of each other.

Conflicts among individuals cannot be avoided. In our pursuit of truth, of goodness, and of the best in everything we do that involves other people, clashes of personalities, principles, preferences, values, etc. are normally present. In most cases, they are not choices between good or bad but among goods. That makes it more difficult and harrowing. It leads to pain, humiliation, grudges, defeats, and other discomforts. Egos fly everywhere. When the dust settles, division and discord dominate. Then come the harder part—reconciliation.

Three things seem to be in the mind of Jesus: pursuit of truth, love of the other person, and love of the community. Fraternal correction is forgetting one’s self or relegating the self as a last priority. Every person in conflict with another member of the community must keep in mind the quest for what really happened and accept everything humbly, whether in or against his favor. More importantly, treat the other as a neighbor who must be loved and not trampled upon. Finally, think about the community, which is always called to love and must always be loved. Jesus, to some, may be thinking of heaven on earth.

Lastly, Jesus’ recommendation of treating an unrepentant member even after involving the community is not permanent but provisional. For even during His ministry, He gave time and attention to Gentiles and tax collectors. It was not a judgment but a prelude to, hopefully, a change in the member. Fr. Benny Tuazon

Reflection Questions:

Do you still carry grudges? Have you tried Jesus’ way? About time you do.

Bless my heart, Lord, that I may be open to reconcile with those whom I have a misunderstanding.

Today, I pray for: __________________________________