Jesus tells
us today: Where two or three have come together in my name, there I am among
them. We are here in his name and so he is among us. May he always stay with
you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction
by the Celebrant
If we
really are the Church, we are a community around Christ, and we are brothers
and sisters to one another. That means: we love one another, we accept and
serve one another so much that we also have the courage to correct one another
when our brother or sister errs. He or she is my concern because that person is
my brother or sister. Let us pray with the Lord Jesus here among us that we may
have that courage, and that our brothers or sisters may accept the help we
offer to set them free.
Penitential
Act
Do we love
enough the Lord and one another, and the community of the Lord, to help one
another when one goes astray? Let us examine ourselves before the Lord. (pause)
-Lord
Jesus, you hold us responsible for a brother or sister who errs: Lord, have
mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
-Jesus
Christ, you hold us responsible for the unity and integrity of the Church: Christ,
have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
-Lord
Jesus, you hold us responsible for reconciliation not only in the Church but
even in the world at large: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy
on us, Lord, make us aware of our own weakness and give us the courage to help
those who err. Lead us all to everlasting life. R/ Amen
Opening
Prayer
Let us pray
to God our Father that we may sustain one another on the way to him (pause)
Lord God,
our Father, your Son Jesus Christ has brought us together as a community of
sinners who know that you have pardoned us. When our weaknesses threaten our
unity, remind us of our responsibility for one another. Let your unifying
Spirit give us the strength to care for one another and to do all we can to
remain a living, forgiving and welcoming community where we keep meeting in the
name of Jesus, that he may be always with us, now and forever. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Ezekiel 33:7-9
A
Guard of One’s Brothers and Sisters: Like a watchman on
the lookout for the enemy, the prophet must warn his people against evil, and
every Christian must warn his or her neighbour.
Second Reading; Romans 13:8-10
Love
Sums Up All the Commandments: Love one another as you love yourself. If you
do this, says St. Paul, you have fulfilled the law. For love is the
motive and the spirit of all the commandments.
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
Help
Those Who Err: A Christian sense of responsibility for
one another demands that, with firmness yet love, we help those who err. If one
does not succeed, let the community help, for the Church should be a place of
reconciliation.
Prayers of the Faithful
Jesus tells
us today: If two of you agree to ask something, it will be granted to you by my
Father in heaven. So we pray together to our Father, and we say: R/ Lord
we are certain you will hear us.
–
For the Church of Jesus Christ, that it may always be a place of reconciliation
and the guardian of life and of all that is good; that its leaders too may
always have the courage to call evil by its name, let us pray: R/ Lord,
we are certain you will hear us.
–
For all those whom God has entrusted to one another: our Christian families,
our towns and cities, people who work together, and all communities, that love
may inspire us to deal with one another with frankness and honesty, let us
pray: R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
–
For all those who suffer from violence and injustice, from prejudice,
discrimination and hatred, that they may not become bitter, and that the
victims of these forms of violence may still be capable of forgiving
wholeheartedly, let us pray: R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
–
For us here in this community, that we may not condemn or write off one another
but learn to bear each other’s shortcomings and to protect each other’s
reputation, let us pray: R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
God our
Father, with your Son among us we pray: help us to believe in the goodness of
each person and to be patient with one another, as you have been good to us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the
Gifts
God our
Father, you bring together at the table of your Son the weak with the strong, the
sick with the healthy. Let your Son fill us here with the fullness of his
presence, that we may accept one another and learn to live with each other. We
offer you our good will and ask you for the strength to welcome one another in
Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction
to the Eucharistic Prayer
We remember
how the Father sent us Jesus his Son when, by committing sin, we had broken our
friendship with God. Jesus shed his blood to bring us back to the Father. Let
us thank God for his love.
Introduction
to the Lord’s Prayer
With Jesus
present in our midst, we pray with him the prayer which he taught us. R/ Our
Father...
Prayer
for Peace
Lord Jesus
Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look
not on your sins, but on the faith of your Church, and help us to not to tie
our brothers and sisters to their sins and past mistakes. Grant us the peace
and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
The peace
of the Lord be with you always. R/ And also with you.
Let us
express now in our greeting of peace how we want to be with one another honest,
forgiving and helping. R/ Amen.
Invitation
to Communion
This is
Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world and who shed his
blood on the cross for us. Happy are we to be invited to his meal of
reconciling love. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer
after Communion
God our
Father, your Son has been in our midst and he has strengthened us with his body
and blood. He made our wounds of sin his wounds and healed them. Let the wounds
of our brothers and sisters become ours, their joys our happiness. Let your Son
teach us the art of bringing those who err back to you and into our communities
without embittering or humiliating them, without any feeling of superiority, but
simply because they are our brothers and sisters and you have been good to us in
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
With Jesus
among us, at least when we are aware he is with us, we can make our community a
place where we can speak freely to each other and help those in trouble to keep
them in the community or to win them back and offer them new chances. For we
know that we are responsible for one another. May God give us this openness and
courage and bless you all: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
May God be
with you and keep you in his love. R/ Thanks be to God.
***
REFLECTIONS: Matthew 18:15-20
When truth and mercy meet
In today's Gospel, Jesus shows how wounds can be healed.
When someone offends us, we have a guideline for our reaction: our first task
is not to gossip or retaliate. The Gospel calls us to approach the person
privately, speaking truth to “win” a brother or sister, not an argument.
Fr Armellini helps us see that fraternal correction is an
act of rescue. The person who has offended us still remains a brother or
sister. Each widening circle, private conversation, trusted witnesses, and the
community, must always be meant to recover communion with the person, never to
humiliate or condemn. Even the unresponsive person must be regarded through the
eyes of Jesus, who approached outsiders and sinners with love.
I came across a woman who struggled to save her marriage
with an alcoholic and abusive husband. Her argument was simple: “If my husband
had a terminal illness, I would care for him with the utmost love and
compassion. To me, his alcoholism is another type of illness, which could be
terminal. The Lord brought him into my life, perhaps because He knows I will
take care of him and I will not abandon him.”
Fr Ron Rolheiser reminds us that Christ overcame division by
absorbing hatred and returning love, receiving bitterness and giving back
graciousness. Reconciliation requires the spiritual strength to hold pain
without transmitting it, to speak honestly without cruelty, and to forgive
without pretending that wrongdoing does not matter.
Reconciliation is not achieved by human skill alone. Christ
enters every conversation, softens hardened hearts, and transforms conflict
into a doorway for grace.
Today, we may ask: Is there someone I discuss with others
but avoid addressing directly? Am I seeking restoration or vindication? May
Jesus give us courage to initiate dialogue, humility to listen, and mercy to
loosen every chain of resentment.
