Two Irishmen, neighbors, had a long standing quarrel. One of them took seriously sick.
his wife called the priest and said to him: father, Pat has been fighting with Mike
Murphy for years. Pat is going to die. Can’t you patch up their quarrel? After much
persuasion by the priest Pat agreed to call Mike for a reconciliation. Soon Mike was at
Pat’s bedside. He said; let us make up Pat; let bygones be bygones! Pat agreed rather
reluctantly. As Mike was leaving and at the door, Pat raised himself on one elbow in
bed and shaking his other fist at Murphy he shouted, remember, Mike, this counts only
in case I die! Some grudges die only with the demise of the person.
Sayings of Jesus in today’s gospel must be understood in the context of church as
people of God. Acts 2:46-47 describe how early church lived: ‘with one heart, they
gathered together for prayer; met in their houses for breaking of bread [Eucharist]; they
shared their food gladly and generously; they were looked up to by everyone’. The
gospel discusses sin of a serious nature, scandalous behavior of a member of the
church, an offense to another brother or sister that jeopardizes church’s mission,
proclamation of Christ and his gospel. In the early years of the church Christians were
praised by others saying, ‘see how much they love each other’! Dealing with wrong
doings of a member of the community was seen as an act of charity, going after the
lost sheep, to awaken repentance in that person and encourage to live one’s life as
follower of Christ. In Genesis, after Cain killed his brother Abel, God asked Cain, ‘where
is your brother?’ Cain replied, ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’. The first reading from
Ezekiel says, ‘yes, you are responsible for your brother, sister’. Your concern is the
strayed person’s well-being, renewal, transformation.
One of the spiritual works of mercy is, admonish [counsel] the sinner as the gospel
says, to win back the sinner, meaning conversion of the sinner. Gospel says, If
someone does wrong to you, go and have it out with that person alone, which is an act
of forgiveness and reconciliation. We try to do that and it is how we live the beatitude:
‘blessed are the peace makers’ who possess that rare gift of bringing people together
when anger and selfishness threaten them apart, who readily take the first step in
forgiving and being reconciled with others, who bring healing to those who have been
hurt, forgotten or marginalized-they are children of God. But there are those refuse
reconciliation, who do not soften their hardness of heart. Today, disputes are taken to
civil, criminal courts and that is not often guided by Christian charity. Paul says, owe
nothing to anyone except loving one another. Paul is saying, let life be conditioned only
by love and not by worldly ideologies that cause enmity and division in church.
Today, those who are adamant to deviate from church’s pilgrim way, just leave the
church; they make themselves alien to church community. Church’s mercy door is
always open to welcome the sinner. In Romans 12, Paul says, ‘do not let yourself be
outdone by evil, but conquer evil through goodness’. Our last word is forgiveness,
goodness, good of the other in the heart. This whole concern for the good of others is
drawn from church as praying community. Jesus: ‘if two or three are gathered in my
name, I am in your midst’, this means coming together, any time, anywhere, going
beyond all social, cultural, racial boundaries in the name of Christ. The two disciples
going to Emmaus, joined by the risen Lord on Easter day, felt the presence of Jesus as
a burning in their hearts. Jesus is in our families, in our communities as healing and life
changing loving presence. Let his love burn all grudges, envy and all hopeless feelings
in our hearts! Poet Rilke: ‘I want to unfold, let no place in me hold itself closed, for
when I am closed, I am false’. Prayer/meditation sheds light on our false self and sets
us on the path of goodness and love!