6 September 2026 - XXIII Ordinary Sunday of the Year (Year A) (Laudato Si Sunday)
Sunday Sermon – Rev. Dr. Fr. Patrick Mathias SDB
Mass Readings: Ezek 33:7-9 Ps 95 Rom 13:8-10 Mt 18:15-20
Key Verse to Meditate:
For where
two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst"
(Mt 18:20).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today, the Twenty-Third
Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Word of God invites us to reflect
on our responsibility towards one another and
the call to live in love and communion. As members of one
Christian community, we are called not only to care for one another but also to
have the courage to guide and correct one another with love.
In the First
Reading, the prophet Ezekiel reminds us that God has entrusted
us with a responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. We are called to be
watchful and to speak out when someone is moving away from the path of life.
In the Responsorial
Psalm, we are invited to listen to the voice of the Lord and
not harden our hearts. True communion with God begins with an attentive and
obedient heart.
In the Second
Reading, St. Paul reminds us that love is the fulfilment of the
law. All our relationships and responsibilities towards others must flow from
genuine love.
In the Gospel,
Jesus teaches us how to deal with conflicts within the Christian community.
Correction must always be carried out with charity, patience and concern for
the person. He also assures us that where two or three gather in His name, He
is present among them. These readings are paired perfectly: Matthew gives us
the method for dealing with conflict, while Romans gives us the motive—love
As we begin this Eucharistic celebration, let us
ask the Lord to give us a loving and courageous heart—a
heart that knows how to listen, forgive, correct with charity and build unity.
Let us participate fully and prayerfully in this Sunday’s Holy Eucharist.
The First Reading: Ezek 33:7-9
The
first reading from Ezekiel Chapter 33 reminds us of the of the task of a
prophet. Ezekiel was called to speak to Israel like a watchman of the Lord
(Ezek 3:16). This word ‘watchman’ occurs only in two places only in Ezek 3 and
33. Just like in the gospel, here too through the mouth of the prophet, we are
all called to be watch man to our brothers and sisters: Son of man, I have
appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my
mouth, warn them from me. (Ezek 3:17). This verse reminds us that as
prophets we are to not only to stand as a watchman but then to act quickly if
we ever notice a wrong behaviour, we need to act and correct a brother or a
sister.
The Second Reading
- Rom 13:8-10
In this brief but powerful excerpt, St. Paul
redefines how Christians should view their obligations to one another:
- The Unending Debt: Paul tells the Romans to pay off all their
earthly debts (taxes, tolls, respect, honor), but to leave one debt
perpetually open: the obligation to love one another.
- The Law Condensed: He lists the commandments regarding human
relationships—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not
covet—and declares that they are all summed up in one rule: "Love
your neighbor as yourself."
- Love as Fulfillment: Because genuine love actively seeks the good of
the other and "does no evil to the neighbor," a person who loves
is automatically fulfilling the entire purpose of the law.
Spiritual
Reflections
1. The "Why" Behind Fraternal
Correction When paired with the Gospel of Matthew 18
(Jesus' steps for confronting someone who has sinned), this reading from Romans
acts as a crucial safety check. Why do we confront a brother or sister who has
done wrong? If our motive is anger, pride, or a desire to be proven right, we
are doing it wrong. Romans 13 reminds us that the only reason we should
step into the messy work of conflict resolution is love. We correct others
because we owe them the debt of love, and love cannot stand by and watch a
neighbor walk down a destructive path.
2. A Different Kind of Economy The world operates on a transactional economy:
"I do this for you, so you owe me." Paul introduces a radical
spiritual economy where the only currency is love, and the debt can never be
fully repaid. When you help someone, forgive them, or show them mercy, they
don't "owe" you a favor in return; rather, you were simply making a
payment on the debt of love you already owe them through Christ. This frees us
from keeping score in our relationships.
3. "Love Does No Evil" It is easy to spiritualize love to the point where it
becomes a vague, warm feeling. Paul grounds it in everyday reality. Love means
practically ensuring we do no harm to our neighbor's marriage, their
reputation, their property, or their peace of mind. In our daily lives, this
might mean stopping ourselves from sharing a piece of gossip, choosing not to
cut someone off in traffic, or refusing to take advantage of someone in a
business deal.
4. The Neighbor "As Yourself" In the liturgy, we gather as a diverse
community—often sitting next to people we wouldn't naturally choose as friends.
Paul’s command to love your neighbor "as yourself" challenges us to
extend our own self-care, self-patience, and desire for forgiveness outward.
When we make a mistake, we want grace. When we are tired, we want
understanding. Romans 13 asks us to assume that the person in the pew next to
us—or the family member testing our patience—needs that exact same grace.
The Gospel Reading - Mt 18:15-20
In
Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus lays out a clear, step-by-step process for resolving
grievances among believers, followed by a promise about the power of communal
prayer:
- Private Correction: If a fellow believer sins against you, address
it with them privately first. If they listen, the relationship is
restored.
- Small Group Mediation: If they refuse to listen, bring one or two
others along to mediate and establish the facts.
- Involving the Community: If they still refuse, bring the matter to the
wider church community.
- Boundary Setting: If they reject the church's intervention, treat
them "as you would a pagan or a tax collector."
- Spiritual Authority and Presence: Jesus concludes by giving the community the
authority to "bind and loose" (make binding decisions),
promising that when two agree in prayer, it will be done, and famously
stating: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I
with them."
To Gather in the Name of Christ
Matthew 18:20 assures believers that Jesus
Christ is spiritually present whenever His followers intentionally unite in His
name, no matter how small the gathering. The verse emphasizes that Christian
faith is inherently communal, requiring the ongoing support, mutual
encouragement, and shared wisdom found within the church body. Christ’s
promised presence among His people acts as a divine seal of authority, ensuring
that redemptive decisions made in unity align with heaven's will. Ultimately,
the passage guarantees that as disciples walk together in faithful obedience,
the living God actively guides, comforts, and empowers their fellowship
Spiritual
Reflections
1. The Goal is Restoration, Not Humiliation When we are wronged, our human instinct is often to
gossip, vent to others, or publicly shame the person who hurt us. Jesus flips
this completely. The first step is strictly private. The ultimate goal of this
entire process is not to win an argument, punish the wrongdoer, or prove that
you are right—the goal is always to "win back your brother or
sister." It is a model of conflict resolution rooted entirely in
protecting the other person's dignity while still demanding accountability.
2. The Plot Twist of the "Tax
Collector" At first glance, Jesus’ instruction to treat
the unrepentant person "like a pagan or a tax collector" sounds like
a harsh command to excommunicate and shun them. But we have to read this
through the lens of Jesus' own life. How did Jesus treat pagans and tax
collectors? He actively sought them out, ate at their tables, and loved them
back into the fold (like Matthew and Zacchaeus). Treating someone like a tax
collector doesn't mean discarding them; it means recognizing they are
spiritually lost and need to be loved and evangelized all over again.
3. The Inevitability of Conflict This passage is a sobering reminder that Jesus never
expected Christian communities—or any human relationships, for that matter—to
be free of conflict. He knew that people would sin against each other, hurt
each other, and disagree. True spiritual maturity isn't found in pretending
everything is perfect or avoiding difficult conversations; it is found in doing
the hard, messy work of addressing the hurt face-to-face.
4. The Sacredness of the Small Gathering Jesus’ promise that "where two or three
gather in my name, there am I with them" is often quoted when church
attendance is low. But in context, it’s about the hard work of reconciliation.
Jesus is promising that when even a tiny group of people come together to do
the painful work of healing a fracture, seeking truth, and praying for unity,
Christ Himself is present in the middle of that tension. God is found in the
work of peace-making.
