Reflection for September 6 Twenty-third Sunday 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:

The story is told of a church ministry leader who would always shout at his members whenever they made mistakes. Eventually, the members had enough of his domineering behavior, so they decided to leave the church ministry he was leading.

It is always tempting to show off our authority and power, especially when we are entrusted with leadership. Sometimes, we may think that being firm, demanding, or dominant will make people respect and obey us. But what many of us fail to realize is that the more authoritarian we become, the more we alienate ourselves from the people we are called to love and lead. The more domineering we become, the faster we hasten our own downfall.

Whenever conflict arises, we may be tempted to respond with anger, pride, and the excessive use of our authority. The enemy would want us to believe that we can solve everything by asserting our power and proving that we are right. But domineering behavior and arrogance will never heal a wounded relationship. Instead, they can deepen the wounds, widen the distance, and exacerbate the conflict.

In our Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus teaches us a better and more Christ-like way of dealing with those with whom we have issues to settle. He invites us to choose the path of humility, love, patience, and fraternal correction rather than the path of power-tripping, arrogance, and dominance. Jesus reminds us that when relationships are wounded, we are not called to conquer one another but to seek reconciliation.

This is not always easy. There will be moments when our pride tells us to raise our voices, prove our point, or make others feel the weight of our authority. But the Spirit of God gently reminds us that true strength is not found in shouting louder or exercising greater power. True strength is found in the humility to listen, the patience to understand, and the love to forgive.

In other words, we have to sit down and talk. We have to listen even when listening is difficult. We have to extend our patience to the limit and refrain from responding in anger. Sometimes, the healing of a wounded person and the restoration of a damaged relationship begin with a humble conversation and a heart willing to forgive.

May we always remember that leadership is not about making people afraid of us. It is about inspiring them through love. Authority is not given to us so that we can dominate others but so that we can serve them. And when we lead with humility, compassion, and love, we allow Christ to work through us as instruments of healing and reconciliation.

Let us therefore ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts. Are there moments when our pride has wounded someone? Have we used our authority to control rather than to serve? Have our words driven people away instead of drawing them closer to God? And when conflict comes, will we choose the easier path of anger and dominance, or will we have the courage to humble ourselves, listen with love, forgive, and take the first step toward reconciliation?

What if today, instead of insisting on being right, we choose to be Christ-like—humbling ourselves, reaching out, and becoming instruments of healing in the lives of those whom God has entrusted to our care?—Marino J. Dasmarinas