Friday, August 11, 2017

Reflection for Wednesday August 16, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 18:15-20

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
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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Reflection:
Mr. A and Mrs. B have been married for almost fifteen years. Like other marriages they also have their own share of tribulations. Ninety-five percent of it emanates from their high sense of self or pride. Whenever they quarrel it normally takes them almost a month before they reconcile all because of ego.

In the gospel reading it says: “If your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” This is not easy to do, if someone sins against us would we still be willing to go to the individual at fault just to tell him about it?

It’s quite hard to do, unless we have the virtue of Humility. The normal scenario here would be like this: You sinned against me, you therefore have to apologize to me and not me going to you to tell you that you sinned against me.

It takes great amount of humility to say: I’m sorry or to apologize. However, this is what we are called for as followers of Jesus for the simple reason that Jesus Himself is the model of humility.

You may not know it but truth be told, if you’re humble you earn the respect and admiration of everyone. – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

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