Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 10, 2023
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.”
My wife and I had the pleasure of attending Bruce Springsteen’s concert at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Sold out, with 40,000 people there, it was amazing for all the reasons you would assume—great show, great music, an iconic artist, etc. I was struck by the unbridled joy, the unified reaction, and the conflict-free feel of the entire evening. On stage was Bruce exhorting us to be good to one another and not take a single moment for granted. It was inspiring!
As I read (and frankly reread) today’s gospel, I found myself having difficulty pinpointing the exact message. Is it about sin? Is it about confronting sin? Is it about strength in numbers? It is about listening? Is it about forgiveness? Is it about God’s presence in all things?
It’s all of the above. We are all sinners and we have all sinned against our brothers and sisters. It’s just an unavoidable fact. How we react to sin, though, is where the challenge lies. We are encouraged to confront the sinner, not with hate or revenge but with forgiveness. That is a tall order, to be sure. Listening to each other seems to be the key. It is the path toward reconciliation and, eventually, forgiveness.
I struggled a bit more with “take one or two others with you” if the sinner initially does not listen. A literal interpretation might make you think we are being encouraged to fight. But this kind of confrontation is about making the case, more strongly, for living life better, still acknowledging sin but accepting the sinner as one of us. The ability to forgive is in all of us, but we have to work hard to tap it.
In the end, this gospel shows us how to live together, fight together, but most importantly, stay together. Maybe that is what I observed without really knowing it at the concert. Whether it is two or three or 40,000, we are indeed gathered in his name, and when we work at it, it can be a joy-filled, peaceful, love-filled life.
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 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. Nicholas of Tolentino was a priest in 13th century Italy who is known for his miracles among the poor and neglected.
His parents were childless until they visited a shrine of St. Nicholas and asked for a son who would serve God. The couple received a boy and named him after the saint who had helped them conceive.
As a child, Nicholas imitated hermits and would hide in the caves near his home and pray. As he matured, he heard God calling him to dedicate his life to prayer and reflection, and when he heard an Augustinian priest preaching one day, he resolved to join that order of priests.
While in formation, he complemented his theological studies by distributing food to the poor at the monastery gate. His first miracle happened when he placed his hand on the head of a sick boy and said, “The good God will heal you.” The boy was instantly cured. A few years later he was ordained a priest, and became famous for using the same words to heal a woman who was blind.
He settled in a monastery in Tolentino, and spent the rest of his life there preaching in the streets. Though the city was torn by civil discord, he raised people’s attention to heaven. Many were moved to conversion upon hearing him.
One man, however, was not moved. He was used to a wayward, evil life, and whenever he came upon Nicholas preaching in the streets, he would try to shout him down and disrupt the crowd’s concentration. Nicholas refused to be intimidated—he was resolute and patient, and this steadfastness began to have an effect on the man’s heart.
One day, the man brought friends to fight with swords in the street near Nicholas as he preached, so as to cause people to scatter. Nicholas persisted, though, and the man put down his sword and began to listen. Afterwards, he apologized to Nicholas and began to reform his life.
Soon after this, Nicholas became a sought-after confessor and would sometimes spend the whole day hearing confessions. He also went into the slums of Tolentino to care for the poor and sick—many stories of conversions and healings were attributed to his work. “Say nothing of this,” Nicholas would say after an extraordinary event due to his intercession. “Give thanks to God, not to me. I am only an earthen vessel, a poor sinner.”
Nicholas spent the last year of his life suffering from an illness that killed him. He got up from his bed only once, to hear the confession of one who was burdened with a great sin, but refused to speak to anyone but Nicholas. He died on this date in 1305 and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Nicholas is patron saint of babies, those who work on the water, and those who are dying. His image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Nicholas of Tolentino, you were the monk who inspired conversions with miracles and preaching, pray for us!