Yesterday, we reflected on how our relationships do not exist in a vacuum but, rather, in a broader network of relations. We form various inter-connected communities with our families, in the places we live and work, on social media, with our friends and at our places of worship.
The word “church” appears in today’s Gospel passage. It is one of only two times used in all the books of the Gospel (the other is two chapters earlier in Matthew). It means ‘the gathering’ or ‘the community’. It is used more frequently in the Old Testament and very often in Acts and the letters of St. Paul.
Jesus is inviting us to build communities through which we encounter him. He understands the impact that every relationship has on a community. He encourages us to invite the community into our conflict resolution processes. Suppose a personal conversation and the witness of other friends have not managed to resolve some relational problem, intervention with the entire community may resolve the problem.
Many people ask what the church has to do with our personal lives. But the truth is that our personal lives and the lives of the communities of which we are a part are closely interwoven. They affect one another. The community should serve us just as we try to build the community. Reconciliation is part of this dynamic.
What are we to do if someone still refuses to be reconciled with the community? Jesus says to treat them like Gentiles and tax collectors. How does Jesus treat these sorts of people? He invests in them. He makes every effort to bring them back into the community. Although this text is often interpreted to mean we should give up on or exclude those stubbornly difficult community members, perhaps it is actually an invitation to gentle perseverance.
What are the various communities that you are a part of? Can you see the relationship between your relationships and your communities? How has the church community helped or hindered your relationships? Can we find ways to be agents of reconciliation at an individual and communal level?
Reflections by Sean van Staden SJ
