Our gospel today has a powerful message, which our world certainly needs to hear today. We could simply interpret this gospel to say, in our current national climate, that we may not all agree on something, but we do not have to become enemies. The goal of “communal living” and the goal of the Christian faith is to respect one another in the midst of differing opinions. However, this does not mean that everyone’s opinion is Truth or even founded upon a semblance of truth. Let us always remember the theme of the Mass of the Passion of St. John the Baptist: “Hold firm to the Truth!”

The gospel reading today is not about ganging up on someone who has done “me” harm. Nor is it about vengeance or cancel culture. It is about Christ: Truth, Love, and Compassion—all that are aimed towards Hope. Our Church teaches that Christ spoke the Truth and those who follow Him are called to lead others to that same Truth. We are not just to say that “we are Catholic,” and then live a life contrary to the Faith, either by pro-actively going against Church teachings or by indifference, but that we live our faith out in-and-through the application of our faith in our daily lives.

In the Gospel today, Jesus says 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 won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.” The question is, how do I get past the personality of politics or culture or faith and get into the Truth? It is through Christ alone—by living out what we say we believe. Amen!