One Voice

August 13: Wednesday of Week 19 of Ordinary Time, Year A-II:

Ezekiel 9:1-7 and 10:18-22; Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Matthew 18:15-20

Thoughts to help us surrender to Jesus expressing himself through us in ministry.

“If two of you agree...” Matthew 18:19

If an angel were marking a Tau (cross) on the foreheads of those who speak out against our society’s “abominations,” would you qualify?

Are you outspoken only about things you are not personally involved in—abortion, same-sex marriages—but silent about issues that call your own life into question? Is affluence a problem for you, and how it is achieved? Is “outsourcing,” joblessness, and their connection with your own buying practices? Are you strident about reforming the prison system, education for the poor, making health care available for all, adopting realistic immigration policies? Would that cross be on your forehead?

What Jesus said to Peter (Matthew 16:19) he now says to all his disciples: “What you bind and loose…” meaning what the laity—the whole Church— condemns or accepts, will be the voice heard in heaven. The “Catholic voice” must be the voice of the Church as a whole to be effective. It is important we all address all the issues in our society, especially those that affect the poor.

I personally think every Catholic adult has an obligation to read Pope Francis’ “apostolic exhortation,” The Joy of the Gospel, which in Britain has “already sold twice as much as any previous papal document” (Catholic News, NZ).

Then you will know if the cross is on your forehead.

PRAY: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace… for your poor.”

PRACTICE: Read The Joy of the Gospel (Google “The Holy See”).