6 September 2026 – 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 18:15-20
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 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. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Reflection
I wonder how many of us hold on to resentment, frustration, or anger towards someone. It could have been something they said or did, or even an opinion they hold. Sometimes we let things go; other times, it is very hard to do so, and we can hold onto things for years.
To express our feelings or frustrations, rather than confront that person, we may find it easier to complain about them to someone else, gossip about them, or even speak ill of them to others. Some of us keep it to ourselves; we create thoughts in our minds that take up much energy, some of which are not helpful and tire us, because we do not know how to address the ‘sin’ that has been committed against us.
Through this process, we may find ourselves contaminating our own hearts and lives. We can carry that ‘sin’, which in turn affects our actions towards others, sometimes without being aware of why we have behaved or reacted in such a way. To be honest, I think it is fair to say that many of us see faults in others far more easily than we see faults in ourselves — just ask any married couple. Perhaps we are afraid to be corrected because we see it as a direct attack on our self-worth or image.
But such seeing is not limited to people. We see faults in governments and institutions, including the Church. We see faults in our society at large and often feel helpless in the face of them. Many have taken up the role of keyboard warriors, transmitting their pain, anger, resentment, or loss into the social media universe — to what end, only time will tell.
In our Gospel today, Jesus provides a model of healing: the need to name the pain and find the appropriate place for that pain to be heard. In some circumstances, it is relatively straightforward to ask that person to say sorry and apologise. This can provide a healing encounter where both people come to understand the impact such actions caused, and both are given the space to heal and make heaven present in the here and now.
However, we know this may not always be possible, depending on the situation at hand. In families, parenting, marriage, friendships, and workplaces, one party may be ready, but the other may not. Life keeps moving, and people can find themselves in new situations, unable to bring about the closure that may help them heal. Do we keep carrying such pain, or is there another way?
The invitation of loosening invites us to name what we are holding onto that is causing our hearts to be troubled. What of the situation where that person or system may never apologise for the hurt they have caused? How do we find peace if we are carrying the injustice of a wound that has not been healed?
Jesus opens us up to another way, reminding us that he is always in our midst, open to listening to the cries of those who have hurt and those who have been hurt. In him, the two become one, holding the paradox of sin and repentance in this One Body — home to all, including the Gentile and the tax collector. Here we are encouraged to name our pain in a safe space, where we are deeply listened to, opening up the possibility of accessing new life and unbinding the bandages that have kept us in our tomb.
So often in the prison, I sit with men who have been deeply affected by their fathers. For some, the ability to tell him about their pain in person is no longer possible. However, in our time together, in a quiet room where they feel safe, they name their pain without fear or judgement. In those moments, there are two or three gathered, and loosening takes place within the inmate, bringing restoration.
This weekend is Father’s Day. For every person in the world there is a father, regardless of the method of birth. And for every father, there is a range of experiences one has had. Within all this goodness and messiness, joy and sorrow — for every great father, and every father who did not or could not live out the role as deep down they may have desired — we pray for you on this day with a heart that mirrors the heart of our heavenly Father.
Richard Korkor is a lay Catholic chaplain serving in the Diocese of Parramatta. Through his work with Catholic Care Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, the Diocese’s social services agency, Richard offers compassionate care and spiritual support to those in the hospital and prison system – including inmates, staff, and their families. His ministry brings hope and an encounter with Christ to those who need it most. Read more about Richard’s work in Catholic Outlook.
Learn more about Catholic Care’s prison and hospital chaplaincy services.
