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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 33:1, 7–9; Romans 13:8–10; Matthew 18:15–18
At first, today’s Gospel sounds like a procedure against a sinner.
First, speak to the person privately.
Then, if he does not listen, bring one or two others.
Then, if he still refuses to listen, bring the matter before the community.
And finally, Jesus says:
“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
This sounds serious.
And it is serious.
Sin is not a private game.
Our actions wound other people.
A lie can damage trust.
Anger can poison a family.
Pride can divide a community.
Silence can allow evil to grow.
That is why the first reading speaks about the watchman. If the watchman sees danger and remains silent, he also becomes responsible.
There are moments when love must speak.
But the question is: how?
Saint Paul gives the key in the second reading:
“Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another.”
So correction in the Church cannot be separated from love.
It is not revenge.
It is not gossip.
It is not public humiliation.
It is not a way to make someone small.
The purpose is not to win an argument.
The purpose is to win back a brother or sister.
This is why Jesus begins with a private conversation.
If your brother sins, go to him first.
Not to the whole village.
Not to the crowd.
Not to those who already agree with you.
Go to him.
Speak the truth, but do it in a way that still leaves room for return.
This is difficult.
Many of us do the opposite.
We remain silent when we should speak.
Or we speak to everyone except the person involved.
Or we correct with anger, so that even when we are right, love is missing.
A good community needs something better.
We need people who will not flatter us.
We need people who will not abandon us.
We need people who can tell us the truth without destroying us.
David needed Nathan.
David had committed adultery.
He had arranged the death of Uriah.
He was king, powerful and protected.
But Nathan came to him and opened his eyes.
He did not leave David in illusion.
But he also did not leave him in despair.
He led him to say:
“I have sinned against the Lord.”
That is real correction.
It helps a person see the truth and return to God.
Finally, we must look at Jesus Himself.
Jesus was called the friend of tax collectors and sinners.
He ate with them.
He saw the hidden goodness in them.
He called them to conversion, but He did not treat them as worthless.
So when Jesus says, “Let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector,” this cannot mean hatred.
For Jesus, Gentiles and tax collectors were not beyond mercy.
They were people to be sought, called, and saved.
This is the Gospel.
Christ does not ignore sin.
He carries it.
He exposes it.
He forgives it.
He opens the way back to the Father.
So today we can ask ourselves:
Do I correct others with love?
Do I allow others to correct me?
And when someone falls, do I help him return, or do I push him further away?
Christian correction is not about winning a case. It is about winning back a brother or sister.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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