23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A – Sept. 6, 2026
Ezekiel
33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20
Theme: Reconciliation with God and with
our Fellow Humans
A.
A
Brief Exegetical Analysis of Matthew 18:15-20
- Historical
and Literary Contexts
- Form,
Structure, and Movement
This Gospel account has two movements.
First, Jesus explains the three steps his disciples should follow when dealing
with someone who sins (vv. 15-17). Second, he addresses his disciples' pastoral
authority within the Church community (vv. 18-20).
- Detailed
Analysis
Vv. 15-17. The offender here is “your
brother,” who, primarily, represents a fellow disciple but also a member of the
Christian community. Jesus reverses orders: it is not the offender who seeks
reconciliation but the offended. The first step is to prioritize private
correction. Jesus does not ask the offended disciples to spread news of the
offenses they have suffered but to approach their offenders and seek
reconciliation privately. The teaching here is that spreading news of the
offenses they have suffered will never lead to reconciliation; it will only expand
the circle of evil. If private correction fails, the disciples should proceed
to the next step, which involves two or three witnesses in this reconciliation
process. If the sinner still does not listen to the witnesses, the offended
should ask the Church to intervene in the third step. The Church here does not
refer to the universal Church of Jesus, as in Mt 16:18, but rather to the local
Church, specifically to its leaders. If, after all these steps, the offenders
still refuse to reconcile, then the local Church should treat them as “Gentiles
or tax collectors,” meaning to separate from them (excommunication), just as
devoted Jews avoided the company of Gentiles and tax collectors.
Vv. 18-20. Whatever the Church binds or
looses on earth shall be confirmed in heaven. The Church of Jesus has the
authority to excommunicate arrogant sinners and restore them to the Church
community after they repent. Bible scholars argue whether Jesus granted this
authority to bind and unbind to Peter alone (see Mt 16:19b) or to all
disciples. My humble interpretation is that Jesus granted it to Peter as the
leader of the Church and his successors, today Pope Leo XIV. This same
authority is extended to all disciples in communion with Peter and their
successors, the bishops, who are in communion with the pope. Considering vv.
19-20, this authority is also extended to the faithful believers who are in
communion with the disciples and Peter, today, with the bishops and the pope,
gathered in prayer in Jesus’ name. The keyword is “communion,” which Christians
and disciples should maintain with Peter when they exercise this
authority.
What should be done with the
“ex-communicated sinners?” Should the offended disciples and Christians
definitively abandon the process of reconciliation with them? The answer is no.
Immediately before this Gospel passage, Jesus told his disciples the parable of
the Lost Sheep (18:10-14). The parable teaches that the “lost sheep” represents
the “ex-communicated sinners,” whom, in our Gospel story, the offended
disciples and Christians should continue to search for until they find them
again because “it is not the will of [their] heavenly Father that one of these
little ones be lost." (18:14).
- Synthesis
Jesus teaches his disciples how to deal
with their eventual offenders. They should follow these three steps: first,
initiate a private reconciliation. Second, if that does not work, the disciples
should involve two or three witnesses. Third, if the offender still does not
listen to the witnesses, they should call the Church. If the offenders refuse
to listen even to the Church, they should be excommunicated from the Church.
This decision to “ex-communicate the arrogant sinners" will be confirmed
in heaven because Jesus has granted Peter, the leader of his Church, and his
successors the authority to bind and unbind (ex-communicate and restore to the
community) here on earth, which will be confirmed in heaven. However,
excommunicating a sinner does not mean that the process for reconciliation is
closed, since the purpose here is remedial. In light of the parable of the Lost
Sheep (18:10-14), which immediately precedes our text, the offended disciples
and Christians have a mission to constantly seek out their offended
excommunicated until they find them again. This is because “it is not the will
of [their] heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost."
(18:14).
B.
Pastoral Implications
- Liturgical
Context
The Catholic Church has dedicated September
to the Word of God. The Church exhorts all faithful Christians to venerate the
Word of God, both in the Church and within our families. First, in the liturgy
of the Mass, we are called to celebrate the Word of God with reverence and to
participate in it actively. This means we should listen attentively when God
speaks to us through the Scripture readings and their interpretations (homilies)
by the ordained ministers. Second, the Church also urges all families to
venerate the Word of God at home. I recommend that each household create a
“Family Bible Corner” at home. A “Family Bible Corner” is a suitable place
prepared in the corner of your/my living room where you/I can display an open
Bible. For example, it could be a small table covered with a white tablecloth
(or any liturgical colors: red, purple, green, or white) and decorated with
flowers, candles, and perhaps a crucifix or rosary. The Family Bible Corner
should be visible to anyone who enters the house. Its purpose is to remind
household members and visiting guests that the Word of God is central to your
family. This Family Bible Corner can also serve as a gathering spot where the
family meets for prayer, Bible sharing, or any other gathering. Third, the
Church encourages all parishes to establish Bible Study Groups to give the
faithful opportunities to meditate on, read, and study the Word of God (Evangelium
Gaudium, 175). I then encourage you to attend my online Bible Study on the
Sunday Mass Readings every Monday at 6:00 pm USA Central time. The Zoom ID is
836 4516 5259, and the passcode is Bible.
Today’s Bible readings teach us how and
why we should always seek reconciliation with God and one another. Like the
prophet Ezekiel in our first reading, we are appointed as “watchmen” and
“watchwomen” for our brothers and sisters, to warn them and ourselves of the
wickedness that leads to our death and to encourage them and ourselves to
reconcile with God. In our Gospel, Jesus instructs us to follow a three-step
process for seeking reconciliation with those who sin against us. This requires
us to love God and our offenders, as Saint Paul exhorts us in our second
reading. Today, we heard God's voice calling us to fulfill our prophetic
mission of reconciling with God and our brothers and sisters. The responsorial
psalm then reminds us not to harden our hearts.
- What
the Church Teaches Us Today
Our Gospel passage calls us to initiate
reconciliation with those who offend us. Notice how Jesus reverses the order:
it is not our offenders who should come to us to seek reconciliation, but we
are the ones who should go to them (v. 15). This requires humility, courage,
and love. Jesus did it, and as his followers, he wants us to do the same.
Jesus recommends three steps for
seeking reconciliation. In the first step, he suggests a private correction.
This approach contrasts with what many of us do today. When offended, we often
tell our friends first. This part of the Gospel teaches us that spreading news
of our offenses does not lead to reconciliation but instead perpetuates the
circle of evil. Jesus calls us to prioritize one-on-one correction instead. If
this conversation fails, our Lord asks us to proceed to the second step, which
involves bringing two or three witnesses into the reconciliation process. If
our offenders still do not listen to the witnesses, Jesus instructs us to tell
the Church. If, even with the Church, the sinners still refuse to reconcile,
then we should treat them as “Gentiles and tax collectors.” The expression
“Gentiles and tax collectors” here refers to those declared outside the
communion of the Church, or “excommunicated.”
Now, what should we do with the
“excommunicated people”? Does Jesus ask us to abandon reconciliation with them?
The answer is no. To better understand what Jesus wants to teach us here, we
need to connect our Gospel story to the parable of the lost sheep (vv. 10-14),
which immediately precedes it.
The allegory of this parable is that
the caring shepherd stands for Jesus. The ninety-nine sheep represent the Jews
in a covenant with God; today, they represent all Christians in a new covenant
with God through Jesus. The one lost sheep represents Gentiles, tax collectors,
and other sinners considered outside God’s covenant. Today, this “lost sheep”
refers to all those who are not members of the Church (including the
excommunicated), which is the Body of Christ. The parable emphasizes the
significant effort of Jesus, the “caring shepherd,” who seeks out tax
collectors, Gentiles, and other sinners and brings them in. So, in our Gospel
passage, when Jesus recommends treating wicked people as “Gentiles and tax
collectors,” he calls us to consider them as “the lost sheep.” Thus, like
Jesus, the caring shepherd, we are called to go and seek them out until we find
them and bring them back into the sheepfold, which is communion with God and
with Church members. To seek them out means to evangelize and minister to them.
This is the mission God assigned to Ezekiel in our first reading.
In our first reading, the prophet
Ezekiel receives a call from God to warn his people of their wrongdoing and
invite them to reconcile with God. As in our time today, people have
transformed wrongful deeds into virtues. What God and the Church call sins are
often actions that people prefer and even pressure societies to recognize as
virtues. Should the Church and all of us Christians allow them to continue
living in a state of sin? No! Our first reading teaches us that God commissions
us with the same mission he gave to the prophet Ezekiel: to openly warn our
brothers and sisters, as well as ourselves, of the wickedness that leads to our
demise. This mission invites everyone, including us, to repent and reconcile
with God to attain salvation.
However, it is sad that many of us feel
uncomfortable and unsafe discussing widespread, popular sins in our societies
because we wish to protect our friendships, jobs, reputations, and lives. For
instance, many parents and schoolteachers choose not to correct their teenagers
and students for fear of hurting their feelings. When we opt not to warn people
about their sins, we should understand that mortal sins are like cancer. If we
do not stop them early, they spread throughout our families, parishes, cities,
and societies. If we love people, we will not allow them to turn away from God
and lose eternal salvation at the Last Judgment; instead, with great love, we
must warn and invite them to repent and reconcile with God. When we do this, we
save them and ourselves; but when we fail to warn them, God will hold us
responsible for their condemnation (Ez 33:8-9).
We are not just “the prophet Ezekiel,”
but also among those who should heed warnings from the “prophet Ezekiel” of our
time (priests, parents, schoolteachers, catechists, and brothers and sisters),
even when it is painful to hear them speak directly to us about our sins. We
are all sinners, and we all need reconciliation with God.
To reconcile with our offenders and
warn people of their wrongdoing, we need a profound love for God and our
brothers and sisters, including our offenders, as Saint Paul exhorts us in the
second reading. Only love can make our prophetic mission possible. As we
understand our prophetic mission today, our responsorial psalm urges us not to
harden our hearts.
May the liturgy of this Mass empower us
to continue working toward reconciliation with God and our fellow humans, with
great love and without weariness. Amen.
Rev.
Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor
of Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS &
SVD USS
Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
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