“Truly, 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, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” 

(Matthew 13:18-19)

Matthew 18: 15-20
 

I have always been confused by the words “binding” and “loosing”. What do they actually mean? They seem to refer to ropes rather than anything church-related. After a quick Google search, I learned that they refer to an authority to permit or deny, bind us to some actions, or release us from them.

Jesus gives this authority to the church - the community that gathers in his name. In last week’s Gospel, we saw how Jesus gave this authority to Peter as the rock upon which this community will be built. The Spirit is at work in our communities and in the leaders of these communities.

How do we make decisions as Christian communities? Jesus gives us a grave responsibility when he gives us this authority to bind and loose. He says that the decisions we make are like God’s decisions. What we choose to permit, God will permit. What we choose to forbid, God will forbid. We must, therefore, take great care to make decisions that are in tune with God’s Spirit and God’s dream for us.

Do our leaders take the time to listen to their people and God’s voice speaking through them? Do we collaborate with those in positions of leadership? Do we engage in dialogue and listen to one another? Do we include everyone in our discernment processes? Do we participate when the community invites us to these processes? Do we participate honestly and sincerely, genuinely searching for God’s will?

The logo for the ongoing Synod on Synodality in the Catholic Church depicts the Holy Spirit among a large crowd of diverse people moving towards God. Do we make space for the Spirit of God in our communal decision-making processes? To do this, we need to create a discerning environment. We need silence to be able to listen to the Spirit’s whispers. We need freedom from attachments that blind us to God’s will. We need to be willing to listen to the voice of the Spirit, which can often be surprising and found in surprising places.

How does your Christian community make decisions? Do you participate in them? Do you make space for the Spirit of God to guide you? Do you engage in dialogue and listening with a spirit of openness? What is the quality of Christian leadership within our communities? 
 

Reflections by Sean van Staden SJ

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