First Reading (Ezekiel 9,1-7,10,18-22)
Reading of Ezekiel’s Prophecy.
The Lord cried out in my ears with a loud voice: “The punishment of the city is approaching! Each man must have his weapon of destruction in his hand!” Then I saw six men coming from the upper gate facing north, each holding a weapon of destruction. Among them was a man dressed in linen with a writing kit at his side. They went and stood beside the bronze altar. Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherub on which he stood, toward the threshold of the Temple. He called to the man dressed in linen with a writing kit at his side. The Lord said to him, “Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who groan and sigh because of the many abominations that are being done there.” And I heard him say to the others, “Go through the city after him and kill without mercy. Kill old men, young men, and maidens, women and children, kill them all, until they are completely destroyed. But do not touch anyone on whom the cross is. Start at my sanctuary.” And they began with the elders who were before the Temple. He said to them, “Defile the Temple, fill the courts with the corpses. Go.” And they went out to kill in the city! 10 Then the glory of the Lord went up from the threshold of the Temple and stood over the cherubim. The cherubim lifted their wings and rose up from the earth before my eyes, and the wheels broke with them. They stood at the entrance of the east gate of the Temple of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. These were the living creatures that I had seen under the God of Israel by the Chebar River, and I knew that they were cherubim. Each one had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was the shape of a human hand. Their faces were like the faces I had seen by the River Chebar. Each one went straight ahead.
– The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Gospel (Matthew 18,15-20)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew.
— Glory to you, O Lord.
At that time, 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 gained your brother. If he does not listen to you, take one or two others along with you, so that every matter may be decided on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he does not listen to you, tell it to the church. If he does not listen to the church, let him be treated as a pagan or a public sinner. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will 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. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
— The Word of the Savior.
— Glory to you, O Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine an ancient city, its narrow streets full of life and bustle. Now, imagine a man walking through those streets on a divine mission, carrying an inkhorn at his waist. This is the scene that the prophet Ezekiel paints for us today, a powerful image that invites us to reflect on our own spiritual journey and our role in the community of faith.
In the reading from Ezekiel, God commands a man to go through the city of Jerusalem, marking with a mark those who “groan and wail because of all the abominations” that are committed there. This is not a simple census or a random marking. It is a spiritual separation, a distinction between those who remain faithful to God in the midst of corruption and those who have given themselves over to iniquity.
Let us reflect for a moment: if this man with the inkhorn were to pass through our city today, through our church, through our home, would we be marked? Are we “groaning and mourning” over the injustices and sins we see around us, or have we become complacent, accepting evil as normal?
This mark is not a sign of perfection, but of repentance and longing for God’s justice. It is a sign of those who recognize sin—in themselves and in society—and long for divine transformation.
But the reading from Ezekiel does not end with this marking. We also see the judgment that follows, a scene of destruction that can seem disturbing to us. How do we reconcile this image of judgment with the God of love we know in Jesus Christ?
This is where today’s Gospel provides us with a crucial bridge. Jesus presents us with a model for how to deal with sin and injustice in our community, a model that perfectly balances justice and mercy.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between the two of you.” What profound wisdom these words contain! Jesus teaches us that the first step in the face of sin is not public judgment or condemnation, but loving, private dialogue.
Imagine the difference it would make in our families, in our churches, in our workplaces, if we followed this advice from Jesus. How many relationships could be saved, how many misunderstandings cleared up, if we had the courage to approach our brothers and sisters privately, with love and honesty?
But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He recognizes that this first step will not always be enough. “If he will not listen to you, take one or two others with you.” Here we see the wisdom of community in action. Sometimes we need the help of others to see our errors, to mediate our conflicts.
And if your brother still will not listen? “Tell it to the church.” This is not a call to public humiliation, but an acknowledgment of the role of the community of faith in our spiritual journey. The church is not just a building or an institution, but a living body of believers, called to support one another on the path to holiness.
Only as a last resort, if all else fails, does Jesus say, “Let him be to you as a pagan or a tax collector.” But remember how Jesus treated pagans and tax collectors—with love, compassion, and a constant invitation to repentance and fellowship.
This gradual, loving approach by Jesus to dealing with sin in our community gives us a new perspective on Ezekiel’s vision. God’s judgment is not an arbitrary punishment, but the end result of repeated rejections of His grace and mercy.
And then Jesus gives us an extraordinary promise: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” What wonderful comfort! In our attempts to resolve conflict, to address sin with love, to build a community of true faith, we are not alone. Christ is with us, guiding us, strengthening us.
Imagine the power of this promise in action. When we gather to pray for a brother who has gone astray, Christ is there. When we gather to seek reconciliation, Christ is present. When we gather to worship, to serve, to love, Christ is in our midst.
Brothers and sisters, today’s readings challenge us to be a community marked not by complacency in sin, but by active and courageous love. A community that “groans and wails” over injustices, not in despair, but in active hope, working for transformation.
We are called to be like the man with the inkhorn in Ezekiel, marking our community not with ink, but with acts of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We are called to follow the model of Jesus, approaching sin not with condemnation, but with compassion and a constant invitation to repentance and restoration.
May we be a church where the sinner finds not judgment, but grace; not condemnation, but a way back home. May we be a community where the presence of Christ is palpable in every interaction, in every attempt at reconciliation, in every act of love.
And remember, dear brothers and sisters: wherever we gather in His name—whether in the grandeur of a cathedral or the simplicity of a home, whether in times of joy or in times of conflict—Christ is with us. He is our strength, our hope, our peace.
May the Lord give us the courage to face sin with love, the wisdom to seek reconciliation with patience, and the grace to be a community that truly reflects the heart of Christ.
May the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God. Amen.
