Please read this passage before reading the homily.
My sisters and brothers,
I find this Gospel hard to comment on.
The desert fathers were the ancient holy ones who preferred to spend their lives in deserts than in the cities. Once upon a time, the old and venerable Abbott Black was sent to reprove an erring brother. He filled a leaky bucket with sand and carried it on a pole behind him. The other monks remarked that the sand was leaking out and he replied that he was being sent to reprove an erring brother when he himself did not know that he was carrying a leaky bucket.
Go first to be reconciled with the brother or sister with whom you have a disagreement. DO it one on one without drawing attention to it.
If that fails, take one or two trusted people with you. Your last resort is to go to the community at large.
If that fails treat the other as a Gentile of tax collector. This should be a temporary procedure to draw the brother or sister back into the community. Remember, it is the community that we have strength and that alone, separated from community we have grave danger.
How does a person treat another person as a Gentile or a tax collector? Jesus would eat and drink with them. Jesus would talk with them and listen to them. That is a challenge, but ne we have to accept.
We share the power of binding and loosing with the apostles. We bind others to Christ and his people, and we free them from sin and being cut off from God’s people.
When we work to bring others together, when we strive to break down the barriers between others, we are doing the work of Jesus and we are acting two, three or more together and, therefore, Christ is present to ratify our work.
We should do this without arrogance or pride because we all carry behind us leaky buckets of our own failings.