23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 33:7-9 Romans 13:8-10 Matthew 18:15-20
For the sixth Sunday in a row the Gospel Reading is from that part of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus is preparing his disciples to be the ‘Church’. The attention of Jesus is on the smaller group disciples, the ones who would be the foundation of the Kingdom of God. He brings them to a quiet place where he could be alone with them and be able to pray to his heavenly Father. But, as always, the crowds kept following him. ‘When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them.’ This compassion was to be the hallmark of his presence and his ministry.
The compassion that the Lord showed was a practical caring for the minds and bodies of people – he fed the 5000 with bread and fish. The special group of disciples were called to share in the Lord’s ministry – they distributed the food and they collected the scraps! The Lord’s practical care for his disciples is further shown when he comes to rescue them when they were in the boat battling the stormy seas. They were astonished to see the Lord walking on the water and this encounter would show to them that Faith in him called for risk and courage. Peter learned that doubting the Lord’s words causes us to sink! Later Peter grows from being a man ‘of little faith’ to being the one who is able to proclaim that Jesus is Lord ‘because it has been revealed to him by the Father in Heaven. It takes some time for the disciples to learn the many aspects of Faith in the Lord.
During his journey with them, the Lord teaches them about Faith through real situations and with various types of people. The Canaanite woman who pleads with the Lord to “help me” is persistent and humble and has a grounded sense of humour when speaking with Jesus. It is her faith, the gift that is within herself that brings about what she has requested. When Jesus reveals to them that he is to suffer and to die, they are shocked and, understandably, want to prevent it happening. But we cannot change what is the will of God. Being disciples means accepting God’s Will and sharing the Cross. We carry our own crosses in union with the Lord for the Salvation of all.
The Gospel reading today takes this ‘sharing of the Cross’ to another level. Each of us has a responsibility to our believing community. We share the graces that come to the community and, so, we must share the weaknesses and failures of our sisters and brothers. When we can, with the same compassion and understanding that the Lord has shown, we are called to guide others from sin and harm and direct them towards reconciliation. All of this is done through Love. As Saint Paul says in today’s second reading “If you love your sisters and brothers you have carried out your obligations …….. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.” The Lord’s teaching of the disciples, as we have seen, is always down to earth and addressing real life situations. “He who had spoken to Moses spoke also to the apostles. This was not done as formerly, in the midst of dense clouds, amid terrifying sounds and lightening, so that people were frightened. Instead, there was a tranquil discourse which clearly reached the ears of all so that the harshness of the law might be softened by the gentleness of grace.” (Pope St Leo the Great - On the Beatitudes)