Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:21-19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, your words speak of forgiveness. Open my heart during these moments of prayer so that I may see more clearly where I need to forgive and be forgiven.

Encountering Christ:

1. God Bless Peter: Throughout the Scriptures, Saint Peter always seemed to ask the questions on everyone’s mind. “How often must I forgive…?” Peter knew, as we all do, that forgiveness can be difficult, very difficult. In those days, the law prescribed threefold forgiveness, so Peter was being magnanimous by suggesting forgiveness “seven times.” In truth, as the old adage goes, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Jesus knows that we are unable to forgive on our own strength. We can forgive only through the Holy Spirit’s power within us, and the act of forgiving must be repeated by our will as often as the anger, resentfulness, etc., surfaces in our emotions. Come, Holy Spirit.

    

2. The Character of the Master: When we’ve been hurt, forgiveness is often the last thing on our mind. Prayerfully reflecting on the character of our Master is the surest way to tap into the Spirit so that our hearts can soften as a prelude to forgiveness. Like the Master in the parable, God the Father does not exact what we owe him in justice; rather, he deals with us mercifully. To the degree that we grasp what he has done for us, (by sending his Son to die for our sins), we will be able to more easily forgive others.

    

3. We Are the Debtors: Whether we’ve sinned grievously or have tried to live by the commandments, the chasm between God and us cannot be crossed by our human effort. Only by Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection do we have access to the Father. Every time we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Our Lord bridges the chasm so that we can approach the Father worthily. Like the debtor in the Lord’s parable, we say, “Be patient with me Lord…” but we know we cannot pay our debts in full. That’s why we are eternally grateful to Jesus.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, please deepen my understanding of the sacrifice you made on the Cross for me, and its consequences in my life. Help me to grow in profound gratitude. With this disposition, I will be empowered to forgive others as you so often forgive me.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will check my heart to see if there remains any unforgiveness and ask you for the grace to remedy that situation and repair the relationship.

For Further Reflection: Say your favorite Act of Contrition with the intention of growing in gratitude for Christ’s forgiveness. Here is the most traditional version: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee; and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, unify us in your love. Help me be open to gently admonishing others in their sins and likewise being admonished myself, when necessary. Help me to put on your love and be unified to my family in Christ.

Encountering Christ:

1. Managing Conflict: Disputes will arise wherever people work side-by-side, and our parishes are no different. Our Church is made up of humans, and every one of us is sinful in our own way. Today’s Gospel reading explains how to manage conflicts caused by sin that arise within our churches. Handling situations like these in a Christian manner is essential to the well-being of a parish. Notice how the dispute in this Gospel passage begins with the most discreet confrontation (between two people) and increases to the most public (testimony to the Church). We should strive to resolve disputes quietly, if possible. We can also ask ourselves how we would feel if a friend approached us about a fault or sin of ours. Would we be humble enough to listen and be won over to repentance by our brother or sister?

    

2. Christian Unity: Unity is one of the Church’s greatest assets. When we gather together as Christ’s disciples, the Holy Spirit is among us: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Not only is the Spirit among us, but if we agree on what to pray about, God the Father will grant our prayers, according to his will. Just two disciples in unified prayer is all it takes! May we have consolation that when we gather as a parish community to pray and worship—even in the smallest of our small groups—God is with us, unifying us with his love.

    

3. Love Equals Peace: The Holy Spirit is indeed the Spirit of unity. We cannot achieve harmony on our own; we need the grace of the Holy Spirit to unify us through love. St. Paul instructed Christians to live “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2-3). St. Paul does not say that this will be easy; he is a realist. We all have things in us that others must endure, but the Holy Spirit of love that unites us makes peace possible.

Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, help me to put on your love when I deal with my brother and sister disciples. Help me to remember that no one is perfect, including and most especially myself. Please give me the grace to pray for the Christian bonds of peace, unity, and harmony whenever conflicts arise.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray specifically for unity in my parish.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.

Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my eyes and heart to see your love and live according to it.

Encountering Christ:

1. As a Child before Jesus: We place ourselves amidst the crowd as one of the children before Jesus. There is a certain appeal to his demeanor, his smile, his laugh. We are eager to be near him. He tousles our hair and teases us. We experience the joy of being carefree in his presence where there are no judgments, no expectations, and no harsh demands. He desires that we rejoice in his presence. Suddenly, we experience that others are annoyed at our presence. Jesus comes to our defense, and we discover in him our protector. We are safe under his gaze that seeks our company. We are not rejected, nor shunned, nor abandoned.

    

2. As an Adult before Jesus: We place ourselves before Jesus once again, this time as an adult with all of our past and present. We ask the Holy Spirit for light to see ourselves as he sees us, with all the times over the years that we have surrendered to worldly standards and justified living according to those standards. We now see that worldly objects of devotion and affection can stifle the reverence and humility we should feel towards God and the things of God. What paths have we taken that divert us from Jesus, the one, essential desire of our wandering heart? We ask for the grace to return to the simplicity of a child.

    

3. Worship in Freedom: The angels of Heaven live in the truth before God. Their entire being—understanding, will, desire—is truly present. They know themselves as they are: creations of God to whom they owe their existence. The truth sets them free to live a simplicity of spirit in which they express the highest form of liberty in a gesture of reverence and adoration before the throne of the Father. At this moment, we join them in this act of true worship. We ask to know ourselves as God the Father knows us, as his child whom he wills to bestow eternal life and love in the bosom of the Trinity. He does not wish for even one of his children to be lost.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me as I am, for making it possible to be a child of God in and through you. Transform my heart according to your own so I may freely and properly praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will strive to recognize when the child in me is stifled by the immature adult. I will resist those temptations and remember that your saving grace is always present.

Jennifer Ristine is a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi dedicated to spiritual and faith formation through teaching, conferences, writing, and spiritual direction. While serving in Ancient Magdala she wrote Mary Magdalene: Insights from Ancient Magdala and “Nine Days with Mary Magdalene.”