Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 11, 2021
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.”
The gospel for today touches upon the difficult topic of conflict. Most of us would like to avoid conflict at all costs, but the reality is we are going to face it at one point or another. Conflict is a normal part of being human and a Christian, so the bigger point is not if it will arise in our lives but how we will treat another when it does.
As I reflect on this gospel passage, I can understand how difficult it can be in today’s world to speak to someone who has wronged us since this could be easily misinterpreted. We live in a society where we are often reluctant to converse about wrongdoing, and to do so charitably, as is laid out in this reading, can be rare. And once we have had some of these difficult conversations, are we more prone to bind or to loose, to hold onto wrongs or to offer forgiveness? What kinds of behaviors help us to restore relationships?
St. Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that all of the commandments about how we treat people can be summed up simply with one single commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I pray that we, as a community of Christians, may continue to look out for one another and remember that we are called to be people of love, mercy, and forgiveness. When one person sins against another, it is helpful to have Jesus’ instructions on how to handle it. By doing these things that are hard, we show a refusal to give up on anyone, just as God refuses to give up on us.
Prayer
God of unity and peace, our human nature drives us to dark places of competition and comparison among ourselves. Give us the humility to see one another as you see us, as people struggling towards to the same goal—eternal life with you. Help us to work together in harmony as we strive to grow in holiness. Let us listen to each other with patience, speak to each other with gentleness, and love one another with mercy. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Clare was the most fervent follower of the great reformer, St. Francis of Assisi. She used this great zeal to establish the Franciscan Second Order religious community for women—the Poor Clares, who carry her name in honor of their foundress.
She was born in 1193 in Assisi. Clare came from a noble family—she was well-spoken and graceful. When she was 18 years old, Francis came to her church to preach during Lent. His words kindled a fire in her to follow his example of radical faithfulness to the Gospel.
She sought him out secretly for direction, and he encouraged her desire to leave all things for Christ. On Palm Sunday in 1212, she ran away from home and joined the small band of men who were gathering around St. Francis. They welcomed her at the door to their chapel, where St. Francis gave her a rough tunic made of sackcloth and cut off her hair as a sign of renunciation of the world.
Francis placed Clare with a nearby community of Benedictine sisters. When her family learned of her decision, they came to retrieve her. She stood steadfast and went to the chapel altar and grabbed hold of it. The story goes that they tried to physically remove her, but she clung so fast that they only succeeded in pulling off her clothes.
When her sister, Agnes, joined her, Francis placed the siblings in a small shelter next to the church where he was living, and appointed Clare the superior. Others came to share in their life, including Clare’s mother eventually, and Clare established monasteries for the growing community throughout Italy and Germany. They are known today as the Poor Clares.
Clare adopted Francis’ love of poverty and humility, and her community followed her example. They wore nothing on their feet, slept on the ground, fasted from meat, and observed the discipline of silence as much as possible.
Clare was known to go even further in her mortifications—she wore a hairshirt and intensified her fasting by eating only bread and water during Lent, and some days ate nothing at all. Over time, with encouragement from Francis, she learned discretion and balance in her disciplines, and urged the same of those who followed her.
Clare led her community for 40 years as the superior, but she sought the most menial tasks. When her sisters returned from begging for sustenance, she washed and kissed their feet. She served at table during meals, and helped the sick. She stayed up late in prayer, and when others had gone to sleep, she would check on them and tuck them in if their blankets had come loose.
People noticed extraordinary holiness in Clare—they saw her face shining brightly after she had spent time in prayer. Her intercession is credited with saving Assisi during several military campaigns.
She spent the last 27 years of her life suffering from illness, and when she was frequently confined to bed, she would sew fine linens for altars in the churches of Assisi. She had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
Her illness took a life-threatening turn in 1253. When it was clear that she would not recover, her community gathered around her, weeping. She told them, “Go forth without fear, for God who created you has sanctified you, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, O God, for having created me.”
She died on this date, and her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, where she is also depicted in stained glass. The chapel in Pasquerilla West is named after her, and her image appears there as well.
St. Clare, you followed St. Francis’ radical faithfulness to the Gospel and led other women to do the same—pray for us!