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Ezekiel 33:7-9
Thus says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die, "
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Romans 13:8-10
Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,"
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples, "If your brother or sister has sinned against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are in private, and if he listens to you, you have won your brother. If you are not listened to, take with you one or two others so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he still refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard such a one as a pagan or a publican.
"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 are united 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 them."
Jesus tells us today:
Where two are three have come together in my name,
there I am among them.
We are here in his name
and so he is among us.
May he always stay with you.
R/ And also with you.
If we really are the Church, we are a community around Christ and we are brothers and sisters to one another. That means: we love one another, we accept and serve one another so much that we also have the courage to correct one another when our brother or sister errs. He or she is my concern because that person is my brother or sister. Let us pray with the Lord Jesus here among us that we may have that courage, and that our brothers or sisters may accept the help we offer to set them free.
Do we love enough the Lord and one another,
and the community of the Lord,
to help one another when one goes astray?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you hold us responsible
for a brother or sister who errs:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you hold us responsible
for the unity and integrity of the Church:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you hold us responsible
for reconciliation not only in the Church
but even in the world at large:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
Make us aware of our own weakness
and give us the courage to help those who err.
Lead us all to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Let us pray to God our Father
that we may sustain one another on the way to him
(PAUSE)
Lord God, our Father,
your Son Jesus Christ has brought us together
as a community of sinners who know
that you have pardoned us.
When our weaknesses threaten our unity,
remind us of our responsibility for one another.
Let your unifying Spirit give us the strength
to care for one another
and to do all we can to remain
a living, forgiving and welcoming community
where we keep meeting in the name of Jesus,
that he may be always with us,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.
First Reading Introduction: A guard of one's brothers and sisters
Like a watchman on the look-out for the enemy, the prophet must warn his people against evil and every Christian must warn his or her neighbor.
Second Reading Introduction: Love sums up all the commandments
Love one another as you love yourself. If you do this, says St Paul, you have fulfilled the law. For love is the motive and the spirit of all the commandments.
Gospel Introduction: Help those who err
A Christian sense of responsibility for one another demands that, with firmness yet love, we help those who err. If one does not succeed, let the community help, for the Church should be a place of reconciliation.
Jesus tells us today: If two of you agree to ask something, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. So we pray together to our Father, and we say: R/ Lord we are certain you will hear us.
- For the Church of Jesus Christ, that it may always be a place of reconciliation and the guardian of life and of all that is good; that its leaders too may always have the courage to call evil by its name, let us pray: R/ Lord we are certain you will hear us.
- For all those whom God has entrusted to one another: our Christian families, our towns and cities, people who work together, and all communities, that love may inspire us to deal with one another with frankness and honesty, let us pray: R/ Lord we are certain you will hear us.
- For all those who suffer from violence and injustice, from prejudice, discrimination and hatred, that they may not become bitter, and that the victims of these forms of violence may still be capable of forgiving wholeheartedly, let us pray: R/ Lord we are certain you will hear us.
- For us here in this community, that we may not condemn or write off one another but learn to bear each other's shortcomings and to protect each other's reputation, let us pray: R/ Lord we are certain you will hear us.
God our Father, with your Son among us we pray: help us to believe in the goodness of each person and to be patient with one another, as you have been good to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
God our Father,
you bring together at the table of your Son
the weak with the strong,
the sick with the healthy.
Let your Son fill us here
with the fullness of his presence,
that we may accept one another
and learn to live with each other.
We offer you our good will
and ask you for the strength
to welcome one another
in Christ Jesus our Lord . R/ Amen.
We remember how the Father sent us Jesus his Son when, by committing sin, we had broken our friendship with God. Jesus shed his blood to bring us back to the Father. Let us thank God for his love.
With Jesus present in our midst,
we pray with him the prayer
which he taught us.
: R/ Our Father...
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us the inner peace
which comes from doing your will
even when it is hard to do so.
Keep us free from discouragement
and help us to spare no effort
in bringing your love and healing to all.
Lead us forward in joyful hope
toward the full coming
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
R/ For the kingdom..
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on your sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and help us too not to tie our brothers and sisters
to their sins and past mistakes.
Grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
The peace of the Lord be with you always. R/ And also with you.
Let us express now in our greeting of peace
how we want to be with one another
honest, forgiving and helping. R/ Amen.
This is Jesus, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world
and who shed his blood on the cross for us.
Happy are we to be invited
to his meal of reconciling love.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
God our Father,
your Son has been in our midst
and he has strengthened us with his body and blood.
He made our wounds of sin his wounds
and healed them.
Let the wounds of our brothers and sisters
become ours, their joys our happiness.
Let your Son teach us the art
of bringing those who err back to you
and into our communities
without embittering or humiliating them,
without any feeling of superiority,
but simply because they are our brothers and sisters
and you have been good to us
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
With Jesus among us,
at least when we are aware he is with us,
we can make our community
a place where we can speak freely to each other
and help those in trouble
to keep them in the community
or to win them back
and offer them new chances.
For we know that we are responsible for one another.
May God give us this openness and courage
and bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
May God be with you
and keep you in his love. R/ Thanks be to God.
