Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Mt 18: 15-20
August 16, 2023 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

If your brother has sinned against you, go and point out the fault to him, when the two of you are alone; and if he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he doesn’t listen to you, take with you one or two others, so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard him as a pagan, or a tax collector. I say to you: whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound. In like manner, I say to you, if, on earth, two of you agree in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by my heavenly Father; for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there, among  hem.”

Today’s Reflection:

Many people today love the culture that yields instantaneous results. It’s an advantage we enjoy through the existence of instant padala, instant noodles, instant messaging, and many other instant services and products. What is sacrificed by this lifestyle is the character of the process. Some hate the process because it takes a long time to arrive at results. Human relationships cannot sacrifice processes. While “instant” culture aids in extraordinary times, it should not replace the value of process in human relationships because that makes a human more humane. On top of that, the Gospel reading does not only reveal the “humanizing” value of process in relationships. It also links it towards something divine. Forgiveness is a process of a human relationship from which we must learn something along the steps toward healing. Man appreciates and learns from the different spectra of this particular life event. We should not shortcut this process of forgiveness for it contributes to our maturation towards assimilating the character of God ./Vulnerasti, 2023