If your brother sins against you…
OLQU 
If your brother sins against you...
Today's first reading is from The Book of Ezekiel. The Lord makes it clear that the prophet should be the guide of the people of Israel. If the prophet fails to warn a sinner, then he will be held responsible for that sinner.
In today's second reading, the Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul concludes that love is the fulfillment of the law. He makes it very clear that one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Today, we should take all the three readings as one single unit. Jesus made it clear that he has come not to call the righteous but the sinners (Matthew 9:13). In fact, in Matthew 18:14 Jesus says, "It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost."
Today's message could very well be derived from the prominent question and answer in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis 4:9, "Then the Lord asked Cain, 'where is your brother Abel?' He answered, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?'"
Yes... I am my brother's keeper! I should be responsible for his life. Today’s Gospel is all about how to bring back the lost brethren. Jesus is trying to tell us that our brother must not be lost by us anytime but always to bring him back to a love relationship.
Jesus came into this world to bring back the lost one, not looking for the righteous ones or good ones.
We are here to express our relationship to God, but God is concerned about our relationships with each other. Matt.18:20 says "When two or three are gathered for my sake, there am I in the midst of them." When we are mutually connected, God is there. Therefore, God’s relationship with us and our relationships with others are interconnected.
According to St. Augustine of Hippo, "If someone has done you injury and you have suffered, what should be done?" You have heard the answer already in today's scripture: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone." If you fail to do so, you are worse than he is. He has done someone harm, and by doing harm he has stricken himself with a grievous wound. Will you then completely disregard your brother's wound? Will you simply watch him stumble and fall down? Will you disregard his predicament? If so, you are worse in your silence than he in his abuse. Therefore, when any one sins against us, let us take great care, but not merely for ourselves. For it is a glorious thing to forget injuries. Just set aside your own injury, but do not neglect your brother's wound. Therefore "'go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone,' intent upon his amendment but sparing his sense of shame" (Excerpt from Sermon 82.7).
Love and prayers,
Fr. Charley
