23rd Sunday Year A

“He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8)
Matthew 18 is the 4th of Jesus’ major discourses. It is called the discourse on the Church
- Jesus set up a Church. One Church. Founded on the Apostles. “Reconciliation with God = reconciliation with His Church” (CCC 1445).
- Bind and loose = (1) sacramental reconciliation by absolving sins or retaining them, (2) doctrinal authority – the language of binding and loosing was used by rabbis in the first century to talk about authoritative teachings, (3) disciplinary power – excommunication for example for a member of the Church who engages in a scandalous sin and does not repent of it in order to bring them back to repent and be saved.
Fraternal Correction: 3-Step Process for Church Discipline
- Step 1: Individual Correction (“between you and him alone”)
- Step 2: Group Correction (“one or two others”)
- Step 3: Ecclesial Correction (“tell it to the ekklēsia”)

Non-judgmentalism = The 1 absolute of our culture today. What do you hear everywhere today. We all have a right to our own opinion, religion, gender, etc. Everyone has a right to do whatever they want. Don’t judge! Even we quote Jesus saying this. He was radically inclusive.
But Jesus judged all the time. Called Pharisees out.
So what are we to say? Never assume a stance of moral superiority. Never lord over people with our moral rectitude. Never use law to aggress others and put them down. We use the law as a weapon of aggression.
Love = fulfillment of the law. * What is love? Willing the good of the other. So to remain indifferent to someone’s moral failure & blithely ignoring their self-destructive path because you’re afraid of hurting their feelings is NOT love but rather protecting yourself.
* How precisely do you correct/judge someone and stay within the bounds of love? Our Gospel today is extremely beneficial here. (1) First, go one on one with the person who sinned against you. (2) If they refuse to listen, take two others along that care about the person. (3) If they refuse to listen, tell it to the Church – the group who loves that person.