Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
Then he called to the man dressed in linen with the writer’s case at his waist, saying to him: Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a “Thau” on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it. To the others I heard the Lord say: Pass through the city after him and strike! Do not look on them with pity nor show any mercy! Old men, youths and maidens, women and children–wipe them out! But do not touch any marked with the “Thau”; begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the men, the elders, who were in front of the temple.
Defile the temple, he said to them, and fill the courts with the slain; then go out and strike in the city. Then the glory of the Lord left the threshold of the temple and rested upon the cherubim. These lifted their wings, and I saw them rise from the earth, the wheels rising along with them. They stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was up above them. Then the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels went along with them, while up above them was the glory of the God of Israel.
From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the Lord to be praised. High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, who is enthroned on high, and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault… Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Fr. Pedro-José YNARAJA i Díaz (El Montanyà, Barcelona, Spain)Today, in this short Gospel passage, the Lord teaches us three important ways of acting—ways that are often neglected.
First: understanding and correction of a friend or colleague. We are to approach them discreetly and personally (“just the two of you”), and speak with clarity (“reprove him”) about the wrong path they may be taking, in the hope of helping them redirect their life. If this first effort fails, then we are called to bring along a companion—a trusted friend—who might help in leading that person to conversion. And if even this does not bear fruit, and their sin causes scandal, we must not be afraid to exercise prophetic and public witness. Today, that could take the form of a letter to the editor, a peaceful demonstration, or a bold sign held in public. This approach demands something not only of the person being corrected, but of the one doing the correcting. It is often uncomfortable, thankless, and difficult. That’s why it’s so tempting to choose what we mistakenly call “Christian charity”—which is often nothing more than escapism, convenience, cowardice, or a false tolerance. As Saint Bernard said, “The same punishment is reserved for those who do evil and for those who consent to it.”
Second: every Christian has the right to seek from us, their priests, the forgiveness of God and His Church. A psychologist may, at a certain point, help calm someone’s emotional state; a psychiatrist, through medical means, may be able to treat a deep psychological disorder. These are good and useful, but not always sufficient. Only God can truly forgive, erase, forget, and destroy personal sin. And only the Church has been given the authority to bind or loose on earth—authority that echoes in Heaven. Through this Divine Mercy, a soul finds peace and begins to rediscover true happiness.
Third: in the hands and words of the priest lies the privilege of taking the bread for Jesus-Eucharist to truly become our food and life. But every disciple of the Kingdom can join with another—or better, with many others—and with fervor, faith, courage, and hope, enter into the world and help transform it in the true body of Jesus-Mystic. And in that communion of hearts, we can lift our voices to God the Father, who hears our prayers—for His Son has promised us: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“In that silence, He will listen to us; there He will speak to our soul, and there we will hear His voice.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta)
“Faith is not simply an individual decision. By its very nature, faith is open to the ‘We’ of the Church; it always takes place within her communion.” (Francis)
“‘Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us,’ (Rom 8:34) is present in many ways to his Church: in his word, in his Church's prayer, ‘where two or three are gathered in my name,’ (Mt 18:20) in the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned, in the sacraments of which he is the author (...)” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 1373)
Do you know how evangeli.net is funded?
Visit our channel and subscribe!
Do you want evangeli.net in your web ?
evangeli.net 2025 annual report: projects and donations management
_______