There Am I in the Midst of Them
September 10, 2023: A Reflection for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr A
Matthew 18:15-20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Mt 18:20)
“Love is the fulfillment of the law,” we hear in today’s second reading from St. Paul (Romans 13:10). At first glance, we can wonder how it fits in today’s readings. It seems to be at variance with the Gospel and first reading.
In today’s world, the general view is to mind our own business and let other people do the same. It’s very true that every person is responsible for his or her own behavior.
But Jesus is talking about our connectedness in the Body of Christ and his presence among us. Ultimately, he is reminding us about the responsibility that we have for each other to live the truth of his presence in each other.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching his disciples as a community called to proclaim and witness to the Kingdom of God on earth, teaching them how to behave towards one another. He encourages them to challenge and help one another to live fully Christian lives. To live lives of loving service and integrity. To “speak the truth in love” in our relationships with one another and in our daily actions.
We are all interconnected and called as Christians to reverence Christ in each other. We are called to live as his children. This means building relationships of love (caritas) that care for the other. It’s not about avoidance of conflict but, together, seeking reconciliation born of love.
Jesus, you are with us always. You came to show us the way to live through love in your presence, and in today’s Gospel, you show us how to be with one another, especially when the inevitable wrong is done to us or by us.
Help us to make charity the root and foundation of our lives and encourage us to speak the truth in love, so that the love you have poured upon us in your cross will find its home in our hearts and actions and be shared among us as your very dear children. For, as you have said, “Where two or three are gathered together in your name,” there you are in the midst of us.