A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 9, n. 41)
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – September 4, 2011 *
“Debt of Mutual Love”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 33:7-9 // Rom 13:8-10 // Mt 18:15-20
(N.B. Series 9 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the Second Reading. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 3. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 6.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
This Sunday’s liturgy of the Word gives insight into the duties that arise from our relationship with a loving, compassionate God. In the Old Testament reading (Ez 33:7-9), the prophet Ezekiel was appointed by God as watchman over the people of Israel to dissuade them from wicked ways and instigate them to return to God. Ezekiel was personally responsible to call sinners to conversion. Regardless of the people’s response or lack of response, the prophet needed to keep his integrity by speaking out and challenging them to repentance.
In the Gospel reading (Mt 18:15-20), Jesus was forming his disciples in the compassionate stance of forgiving love and the responsibility of fraternal correction. Celia Sirois comments: “Today’s Gospel outlines a three-step program for acting responsibly toward the brother or sister who sins. If confrontation or intervention fails, the last resort is excommunication. In the language of the Gospel, treat them as you would a Gentile or tax collector. The question this raises, as Raymond Brown notes, is the following: Is the sinner now to be shunned or is he to be sought actively and responsibly in imitation of Jesus who was reputed to be a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Mt 11:19)?”
Ezekiel’s prophetic duty as a watchman calling an erring people to conversion and the Gospel model of fraternal correction acquire deeper meaning in Paul’s assertion that love is the fulfillment of the law and that we all carry “the debt of mutual love”. Mary Ehle explains: “Through Jesus, Christians have a new standard for love. He taught and embodied the saving love that he uniquely offered through his life, death and resurrection. Thus for Christians, love entails not only following the commandments, but following a person … In its new context, the saying calls Christians to extend their charity; beyond members of their religions and ethnic communities, as Jesus’ charity extended beyond religion and political boundaries. Christians must show to the world the love of the teacher.”
The debt of mutual love is ongoing and can never be fully repaid. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent explicates: “Fraternal correction pays the debt of love we owe the other. The debt itself is a permanent thing, for we must constantly love our neighbor. (…) The reaction of a Christian when confronted with his brother’s sin should always be inspired by this passage, for the stakes are the life of our brother. If we divulge his sin without first having tried in a sensitive way to convert him according to the possibilities open to us in our day, we show that we have not understood the meaning of love. On the other hand, if we allow the whole community to be endangered and if we do not accept to be a watchman over the life of the Church, we are refusing to love our brother. (…) Fraternal correction … such an exercise is a sign of spiritual vitality in a people that is led by the Lord.”
The following beautiful story, “The Carpenter”, circulated through the Internet, gives a glimpse on how to promote mutual and forgiving love in our community.
Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side-by-side, sharing machinery and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch.
Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference and finally, it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.
One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days’ work”, he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?
“Yes”, said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor. In fact, it’s my younger brother! Last week there was meadow between us. He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll do him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence, an 8-foot fence – so I won’t need to see his place or his face anymore.”
The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day – measuring, sawing and nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.
The farmer’s eye opened wide; his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge! A bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all! And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward him, his hand outstretched. “You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.”
The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you”, said the older brother. “I’d love to stay on”, the carpenter said, “but I have many more bridges to build.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are we responsibly involved in the conversion of our brothers?
Do we follow Christ in the three-step program for acting responsibly toward the brother or sister who sins?
How do we fulfill our “debt of mutual love”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Leader: Almighty God,
you are loving, kind and merciful.
You extend a compassionate hand to all creatures.
You send prophets to utter the life-giving word
that leads to conversion.
Like Ezekiel, let us keep our prophetic integrity
by calling our erring brothers and sisters
from self-destructive ways
and lead them back to you.
Help us to imitate Jesus’ loving patience
and relish the healing power and the beauty
of “fraternal correction”.
Like Saint Paul, let us seriously strive
to pay the debt of mutual love,
knowing that it is an ongoing and permanent endeavor.
You love us with an infinite love.
In Jesus, we will try to mirror that gracious love in today’s world.
Help us to pay the debt of love that we owe one another
for we are all recipients of the saving love
of your Son Jesus Christ.
He suffered and died for us
and was glorified for all eternity.
He lives and reigns,
forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (cf. Rom 13:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
ACTION PLAN: Pray for Christian disciples that they may be ministers of forgiving love and reconciliation. Strive to forgive those who have “wronged” you and seek forgiveness for the “wrong” you have done to others.
ACTION PLAN: That we may truly work toward paying “the debt of mutual love”, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year A, vol. 7, # 41).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US