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Gospel Reading for September 6, 2026 – Matthew 18: 15-20
COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY
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.”
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It is always better to COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY with the person who has wronged us, as long as we do and say it with love. We need to be careful with the words we use—not in a tone of accusation, but in a tone of reconciliation. This way, the person will be more open to listening to us.
As the saying goes, “There are always two sides to a coin.” We may also be partly to blame for what happened. Speaking directly gives the other person a chance to explain his or her side. If we are truly open to reconciliation, then we must also be willing to listen, reflect on ourselves, and acknowledge our own shortcomings.
Hopefully, with this approach, there will be no need to proceed to the next step of taking one or two others along, and then, if necessary, bringing the matter before the Church.
The last step is to treat the person as we would a Gentile or a tax collector. Although the Jews looked down on Gentiles and tax collectors, Jesus taught us to treat them with compassion. We can pray for the person to understand us, and also pray for ourselves to understand the person, so that we may forgive as Jesus forgave.
Lord, help us to be as forgiving as we ourselves hope to be forgiven for the wrongs we do to others. Amen.
