Wednesday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time
Eze 9:1–7,10:18-22
Mt 18:15-20
“For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”
My first thought when I read the Gospel for today was that Jesus gave pretty detailed advice to his disciples about what they ought to do when someone sins against them, to the point I was reminded of a caring and ‘hands-on’ supervisor guiding his staff. It provides proof that our Lord is close to us, that He understands what we go through because He has been through it Himself, and that He can empathise with us and journey alongside us even though He may sometimes feel distant.
I also noted that Jesus suggested four stages of negotiation with the other party, escalating subject to the other’s willingness to listen and admit fault. Indeed, even if we have to go to the worst stage of treating the other party as “a Gentile or a tax collector”, the Gospels contain many examples of Jesus reaching out to such people, as well as such people turning to Jesus themselves (with Matthew being the most notable one). I would like to think of this as reassurance of our Lord’s mercy, as well as His generosity and patience in bestowing upon us multiple chances to repent.
Indeed, when I went through the passage again, I was chastened to realise that I might not always follow the steps Jesus outlined. I am usually sensitive and quick to leap to conclusions (particularly in the workplace), yet I also find myself bearing a deep-seated phobia of confrontation. Such tendencies probably would not lead to any positive changes, and yet I find it hard to take action lest any discussion worsen the situation. So perhaps, this could be an area I bring to God (who probably already is aware) for further reflection, humility and help.
Because although the second half of the Gospel initially seems a bit unrelated to the first, when I went through it again, it occurred to me that the overall passage stresses the importance of community. After all, our Lord is present the moment “two or three are gathered together in my name”, which seems to call on us to focus on building relationships with one another beyond who wronged who and why. It reminds me of how God himself came to be in relationship with us, instead of merely saving us from our sins, a mindset which I want to welcome but find harder to embrace than expected. But at least I can bring it to our mentor and friend Jesus for His guidance!
(Today’s OXYGEN by Jaclyn Lam)
Prayer: Holy Spirit, we need You. Help us in our battle against sin, and also to look beyond sin to deepen our relationships and build our communities.
Thanksgiving: Lord, we thank you for being more patient with us than we are with others or even ourselves.
OXYGEN 
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