Catholic Spiritual Living Journal

August 16, 2006

God is always attentive to our prayer when it is done with faith and love.

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:15-20

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."

Prayer:

Lord, help me trust that you will guide my conscience and direct my heart according to your will. Teach me your truth and take away from me any doubt or skepticism.

Lord, grant me the confidence that you will answer my prayers every day. Teach me to pray that your will be done.

1. Witness to Charity.

One of the most urgent tasks for every Christian is to seek reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in a spirit of true charity according to the Gospel. We must go to great lengths to restore trust and confidence in each other in order to be a witness to the world of the transforming power of the Gospel. In the early Church, unbelievers were converted by the testimony of love the Christians had for one another, explainable not merely in human terms but only as a fruit of a relationship with Jesus Christ. We have to let the grace and love of Christ lead us to look for reconciliation with everyone.

2. Win Over Your Brother.

Sometimes we need to say the difficult and awkward truths; sometimes people need to hear them. All too often we are drawn along by a “live and let live” philosophy that is not true tolerance based on respect, but rather an indifference to the fate of others, a closing-in on ourselves. Sometimes we lack the courage and the loving commitment to charitably admonish and remind others that they are children of God with responsibilities toward him. We need to pray for true charity, which seeks the good of our brothers and sisters without regard to ourselves.

3. Pray Always.

God is always attentive to our prayer when it is done with faith and love, with confidence in his mercy and forgiveness. We need to persevere in prayer and never doubt God’s love for us. Prayer in common unites us not only to God, but to others as well. We are reminded that we are children of God our Father and very much within his loving providence and care. We need to renew the faith and belief that we have a God who is in our very midst. He is not a distant God off somewhere in the universe, uncaring and uninvolved, but a close, intimate God who knows our every need.

Lord God, teach me to trust in your providence and to hope in your loving care.
Help me learn to forgive and be reconciled with each and every person because they too are your sons and daughters, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Resolution:

I will think of one person I have not yet forgiven and reach out in a gesture of reconciliation and charity.