Ezekiel 33.7-9 | Romans 13.8-10 | Matthew 18.15-20

Dear brothers and sisters, we are beginning the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and, with it, officially entering the month of September: the Month of the Bible, dedicated to the Sacred Scriptures. In Holy Mass, the Word of God holds a privileged and irreplaceable place; alongside the Eucharistic food, it serves as nourishment for our faith. It fills our hearts, renews our strength, and keeps us faithful to the Lord's will. It is worth asking ourselves: what place does the Bible hold in our personal lives? We cannot replace the Word of God with mere devotions; we need to incorporate Sacred Scripture into our daily spiritual diet by meditating on the Gospel of the day and practicing the prayerful reading known as Lectio Divina.

It is in this spirit of attunement to the Word that today’s liturgy, drawn from the Gospel of Matthew, presents us with a fundamental and ever-relevant theme: fraternal correction. Jesus teaches us that disciples must correct one another when sin or infidelity occurs. But take note, brothers and sisters: this correction must be genuinely fraternal, motivated by the love of Christ, and aimed at the person's growth—never at moral condemnation or public humiliation. God does not deal with us by pointing a finger to destroy us; He is patient and merciful. Therefore, Christ’s community must not remain indifferent in the face of error; instead, it must seek out the brother discreetly—speaking one-on-one, face-to-face—to win him back. Only as a last resort, and after pursuing paths of dialogue involving witnesses and the community, does the Church—acting as a strict yet loving mother—take more severe measures, always keeping the door open for a return and reconciliation. 

This courageous stance of the Church is also brought to mind in the first reading, through the prophecy of Ezekiel. The Church has a prophetic duty to name sin and point out uncomfortable truths, for sin lies not only in the evil we commit but also in the good we fail to do through omission. Like a mother who educates and corrects in order to heal a wound, the Christian community must have the courage to care spiritually for its children, without shying away from problems or isolating itself.

Finally, in the second reading, Saint Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Romans that the fulfillment of all commandments regarding our neighbor is summed up in the supreme commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Moved by this love, we must resolve our conflicts with Christian maturity, sparing higher authorities from matters that we ourselves—filled with the Holy Spirit—can resolve through dialogue and understanding.

May the Lord bless our week and grant us the grace to honor the Virgin Mary on the feast of her Nativity. May the Word of God always be the guide for our steps and the sustenance of our families. Amen!