20260906 THE DEBT OF MUTUAL LOVE AS THE BASIS FOR MISSION
06 September 2026, Sunday, 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Ezekiel 33:7-9 |
If you do not speak to the wicked man, I will hold you responsible for his death
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name. If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9 |
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the Lord.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us:
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
O that today you would listen to his voice!
‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.’
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Second reading | Romans 13:8-10 |
Your only debt should be the debt of mutual love
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 18:15-20 |
If your brother listens to you, you have won back your brother
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.
‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’
THE DEBT OF MUTUAL LOVE AS THE BASIS FOR MISSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 33:7-9; ROMANS 13:8-10; MATTHEW 18:15-20]
What does it mean to be a Christian? For many, being a Christian is to keep themselves free from sin so that they can be worthy to be admitted into heaven when they die. They feel called to do good by supporting the church financially and contributing to the poor. So long as they have done nothing wrong against humanity or broken the Ten Commandments, they consider themselves good Christians and are guaranteed a place in heaven. Salvation for this group of Christians is personal salvation. It has nothing to do with others, but rather with making oneself worthy to be accepted by Christ. It is about fulfilling duties and obligations, and avoiding sin.
However, this is only a partial living out of the Christian life. To be a Christian is more than just earning our individual salvation. To be a Christian is to be part of the Body of Christ. It is to be a member of the Christian community. We are called to live in the family of God. We are called to heaven not as individuals, but as a community. Heaven is the kingdom of God where the community of the just lives in unity and mutual love. Heaven is fundamentally about relationships. Our life on earth is supposed to reflect life in heaven when we live as one people and one family of God.
Consequently, when there is a break in relationships in the community, it is a counter-witness to the Church as a sign and sacrament of love and unity. For this reason, the early Church was deeply concerned with any individual who offended another person in the community, as anything that affects the individual also affects the community. We remember what St. Paul said about the mystical body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:26f). Indeed, this is true especially in witnessing. Quite often it is the quarrels, jealousy, gossip, politics, self-righteousness, and division among Christians that put off potential inquirers of the faith. Sin divides the community, destroys communion, and makes us lose our credibility as witnesses of Christ’s love, impeding our mission in the world.
This is why it is important that we safeguard the unity and integrity of the community. In a real way, we have a responsibility towards our brothers and sisters, just as we have towards our own family members. God reminds us through the prophet Ezekiel that we are all called to be sentries of the family of God. The Lord said, “Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name.” We will be held responsible if we do not warn them when they go the wrong way. As the Lord says, “If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death.” However, if we have done what we could to help a person seek repentance, we are absolved from guilt: “If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.”
The question is how we proceed, because we know it is difficult–especially nowadays when most people are so sure of their own viewsthat it is hard to tell a person he is in the wrong. Even if we cite Scripture and authoritative opinions, these will be challenged by relativists; otherwise, the facts themselves are disputed. So let us be clear that it is not as easy as Scripture tells us to bring to task those who have sinned against the Lord. In a world of moral relativism, egoism, and individualism, it is difficult to say what is right or wrong anymore. Even moralists and religious leaders within the same religion cannot agree. Things are no longer black or white. This is even truer when it comes to disagreements among communities and in international relations. Even those who start wars and kill innocent people claim to do so in the name of justice and for the sake of peace.
The principal guideline underlying the process of fraternal correction is rooted in mutual love. St. Paul writes, “Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men, you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.” Anyone who wants to initiate fraternal correction must first examine himself as to whether this correction is truly out of mutual love or out of revenge.
Fraternal correction of others must distinguish between seeking justice for oneself and seeking justice for others. If we are the ones who feel offended, we need to discern well so that we are not reacting out of wounded pride or vested interests. If the offence is committed against us, the debt of mutual love requires us to render forgiveness rather than correction; otherwise, we operate from a conflict of interest. So long as we are more concerned about seeking justice, we come from a position of “we are right and the other person is wrong.” Seeking the truth becomes far more complex because we are blind to our own faults and self-interests. Hence, following His call for fraternal correction, the Lord immediately spoke about forgiveness when Peter asked Him how often he must forgive, and the Lord said, “Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times” (Mt 18:22). After telling the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, the Lord concluded by saying, “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart” (Mt 18:35).
Fraternal correction is clearer when we are dealing with someone who has sinned against the community. Our intention is clear: to help the person who has wronged others walk in truth and love. This must be done privately first because we need to listen to the person, and understand his situation, motives, actions, and words. We should never do this publicly; otherwise, it becomes a public trial where the person will react to protect his dignity at all costs. This is why all correction must be done privately to safeguard the person’s dignity and allow him an opportunity to explain himself. The first rule of thumb is: when “your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.” We should not presume that a person has done wrong until he has been given a chance to explain himself. This is seeking truth in love.
However, we must not forget that fraternal correction is a mutual process. The one who corrects must be ready to be corrected as well. During correction, the one who confronts the accused might come to realise that he himself needs correction in the way he has wrongly judged the situation. So, seeing a person privately–when done in sincerity, truth, and love–can bring clarity and healing. This requires humility and maturity from both parties, including the one who seeks to correct someone else. The truth is that those who seek to correct others must themselves be ready to correct themselves when the facts are presented. If we come with our minds already made up, we are there not to seek the truth, but to impose our prejudiced judgement on others. Indeed, those offering correction must remember what the Lord said: “Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?” (Mt 7:3f).
Regardless, any fraternal correction must be done out of love. Indeed, any decision at all that is taken must always be in the mind of Christ. Hence, today’s Gospel ends with the call to pray in unity and for the good of all, rather than for ourselves. The Lord said, “I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.” This is not just any prayer that we happen to agree on–especially not praying against our enemies–but rather our prayer must never be selfish; it must be a prayer of love and forgiveness. If our prayer is pure and noble, that prayer will be answered because Jesus unites our prayers with His. In truth, prayer changes hearts, enlightens our minds, and unites us.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
