Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, CYCLE A
MATTHEW 18:15-20
TODAY'S GOSPEL SEEMS TO ADDRESS THREE SEPARATE TOPICS –  WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER OFFENDS YOU; BINDING AND LOOSING; AND THE POWER OF PRAYER.  BUT I THINK JESUS IS REALLY TALKING ABOUT ONE THING – THE CHURCH.
MORE THAN ONE FIFTH OF AMERICANS DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS “SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS.”  MY GRANDFATHER WAS LIKE THAT.  HE HAD BEEN BORN INTO A MORMON FAMILY, AND WHILE HIS SISTERS REMAINED IN THAT FAITH, HE LEFT IT BEHIND WHEN HE LEFT HOME AT FOURTEEN.  EVENTUALLY HE MARRIED MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO WAS CATHOLIC, BUT HE NEVER SHOWED MUCH INTEREST IN JOINING ANY RELIGIOUS GROUP.  HIS ATTITUDE WAS “I CAN PRAY ANYWHERE I WANT.  I FEEL CLOSE TO GOD WHEN I AM OUT FISHING OR HIKING IN THE WOODS.  I DON'T NEED A CHURCH TO SPEAK TO GOD.  HE MIGHT HAVE GONE ON AND SAID THAT HE DIDN'T NEED A PRIEST TO FORGIVE HIM HIS SINS, GOD COULD DO THAT DIRECTLY.  NOW 20% OF AMERICANS MAY DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS “SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS” – OR FOR SHORT, SBNR'S – BUT I BET A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO BELONG TO DENOMINATIONS SUBSCRIBE TO THE SAME PHILOSOPHY .  I KNOW SEVERAL CHURCH-GOING CATHOLICS WHO ARE SBNR'S, AND YOU PROBABLY DO AS WELL; THEY GO TO CHURCH, BUT WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THEY REALLY NEED IT.  I REALLY DO HOPE TO MEET UP WITH MY GRANDFATHER IN THE NEXT LIFE – HE WAS AN HONORABLE AND GENTLE MAN AND I LOVED HIM DEARLY – BUT I THINK TODAY'S GOSPEL MORE OR LESS REFUTES THE ATTITUDE THAT HE  SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THESE DAYS.
TWO SUNDAYS AGO, WE HEARD JESUS PROMISING TO BUILD HIS CHURCH ON THE ROCK WHO IS SIMON PETER.  TODAY, HE EXPLICITLY POINTS OUT THAT WE IN THE CHURCH ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND IN SOME WAY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE WHO AREN'T IN THE CHURCH.  HE ALSO ADDRESSES THE IDEA THAT THE CHURCH LEADERS HAVE AUTHORITY, IN THE FIRST PLACE, TO JUDGE BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH WHO CAN'T RESOLVE THEIR DIFFERENCES OTHERWISE; AND IF THE OFFENDING PERSON DOES NOT ACCEPT THAT JUDGMENT, HE IS OUT OF THE CHURCH.  THE SECOND POINT IS THAT HE GIVES THE POWER OF THE KEYS TO THE CHURCH. THIS SOUNDS A LOT LIKE THE PASSAGE FROM TWO WEEKS AGO ADDRESSED TO PETER, “I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; WHAT YOU BIND ON EARTH SHALL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN, AND WHAT YOU LOOSE ON EARTH SHALL BE LOOSED IN HEAVEN.  IN OTHER WORDS, THE CHURCH IS NOT JUST A COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS; IT HAS SOMETHING DIVINE ABOUT IT; GOD BINDS HIMSELF TO WHAT HIS CHURCH DECIDES.  FINALLY, JESUS TELLS US THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE FATHER WILL ANSWER OUR PRAYERS –  NAMELY, THAT THE CHURCH OFFER THE PRAYER.  HE DOES NOT TELL US THAT GOD WILL ANSWER MY PRAYER OR YOUR PRAYER; BUT HE ASSURES US THAT IF WE ARE PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH – IMPLIED BY “WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED IN MY NAME” AND EQUALLY IMPORTANT, “THERE I AM IN THE MIDST OF THEM” IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE, GOD WILL ANSWER OUR PRAYER.
NOW JUST A WORD ABOUT THAT.  I'M SURE YOU AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED TIMES WHEN OUR PRAYER WAS NOT ANSWERED EVEN WHEN WE WERE UNITED IN PRAYER WITH OTHER PEOPLE.  BUT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT FOR OUR PRAYERS TO BE ANSWERED WE HAVE TO BE PRAYING WITH CHRIST, AND JESUS' PRAYER IS ALWAYS “IF IT IS POSSIBLE … BUT THY WILL BE DONE!”  IS THIS A COP-OUT?  IS THIS AN EXCUSE FOR GOD?  NOT REALLY.  THERE ARE TWO REASONS.  GOD IS ONLY IN THE PRESENT, NOT THE FUTURE OR THE PAST.  GOD DOES NOT GO BACK IN TIME AND CHANGE THINGS THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE TIME IS AN IMPERFECTION OF MATTER AND ENERGY, AND GOD IS OUTSIDE OF TIME.  AND MANY OF THE THINGS WE PRAY ABOUT WERE SET IN MOTION LONG BEFORE WE BEGAN TO PRAY – IF I PRAY THAT GOD HEAL MY HEART DISEASE, WELL, THAT STARTED A LONG TIME BEFORE I PRAYED, AND WHILE WE CAN HOPE FOR A MIRACLE, AS WE LEARN MORE AND MORE ABOUT THE WORLD, ABOUT HOW EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED, ABOUT HOW GENES AND DIETS AND EXERCISE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH HEART PROBLEMS, WE RECOGNIZE HOW IMMERSED IN THE WORLD WE ARE, AND HOW THE KIND OF INTERVENTION WE ACTUALLY WANT MAY VERY WELL NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH GOD'S PLAN, GOD'S WILL.
SECOND, WHEN WE USE THE WORD “PRAYER” WE PROBABLY MISUSE IT.  IF I FIND YOU UNCONSCIOUS, I SHOULD PRAY, OF COURSE, BUT  MAYBE FIRST I SHOULD CALL AN AMBULANCE.  IF I DON'T DO THAT, I OBVIOUSLY DON'T REALLY MEAN MY PRAYER.  WE ALWAYS PRAY FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD, BUT WHO WORKS FOR PEACE?  WE PRAY THAT WE BE GIVEN OUR DAILY BREAD, WHICH MEANS ALL THAT WE NEED TO HAVE TRULY HUMAN LIVES.  BUT DO WE DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS WHEN WE LEAVE CHURCH, TO ASSURE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN CIRCUMSTANCES WORSE THAN ANIMALS ARE LIVING TRULY HUMAN LIVES?  TO THE EXTENT THAT WE DO, THAT'S WHERE THE PRAYER ACTUALLY MEANS SOMETHING. JESUS EVEN POINTS THIS OUT; IN THE PRAYER HE GAVE US, IF WE PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS, THE CONDITION TO RECEIVE IT IS THAT WE BE FORGIVING OF OTHERS.
SO TODAY'S GOSPEL PASSAGE TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHURCH, BUT ALSO ABOUT GOD'S INTENTIONS.  GOD HAS GIVEN THE CHURCH SPIRITUAL POWER, THE POWER TO RECONCILE US WITH EACH OTHER, THE POWER TO FORGIVE SINS, THAT IS,  TO RECONCILE US WITH GOD, AND THE POWER TO PRAY WITH JESUS, WHOSE PRAYER IS ALWAYS HEARD.  BUT IT'S ALWAYS US, NEVER ME.  ALWAYS WITH THE CHURCH, NOT BY MYSELF.  EVEN IF I PRAY BY MYSELF, I PRAY AS PART OF THE CHURCH; BAPTISM MEANS THAT GOD PROMISES TO HEAR ME.
SO YOU AND I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN BRINGING PEOPLE WHO ARE SBNR'S INTO THE CHURCH.  THE MORE WE PRAY AND ACT TOGETHER, THE MORE GOD'S KINGDOM WILL BE AMONG US.  AND WHEN WE BRING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN INTO OUR OWN FAMILIES, OUR CITIES, OUR COUNTRY, OUR WORLD, THEN WE WILL HAVE WHAT WE PRAY FOR – PEACE AND BROTHERHOOD, HEALING AND FORGIVENESS, AND INDEED, THINGS THAT SEEM TO US NOW TO BE MIRACULOUS.  I THINK THAT'S WHY JESUS PRAYED FOR UNITY AMONG HIS FOLLOWERS – BECAUSE IF WE  ARE TO DO THE THINGS HE DID, AND HE PROMISED THAT WE WOULD – WE HAVE TO DO THEM FULLY UNITED TO THE CHURCH.
SO DID GOD HEAR MY GRANDFATHER'S PRAYERS?  TO THE EXTENT THAT HE PRAYED WITH THE CHURCH.  DID GOD FORGIVE HIS SINS?  TO THE EXTENT THAT THAT FORGIVENESS CAME FROM THE CHURCH.  IS MY GRANDFATHER IN HEAVEN?  TO THE EXTENT THAT HE ARRIVED THERE THROUGH THE CHURCH.  WAS HE CONNECTED IN SOME WAY TO THE CHURCH? IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?  WELL, HE WAS A FALLEN AWAY MORMON, SO HE HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO THE GOSPEL, EVEN IF A BIT DISTORTED.  AND HE WAS MARRIED TO A CATHOLIC, AND HE HAD CATHOLIC CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, WHO PRAY FOR HIM WITH THE CHURCH, WHERE PRAYERS ARE ALWAYS ANSWERED.  SO IN SOME WAY I BELIEVE, I HOPE, THAT HE HAD A CONNECTION TO THE CHURCH, ENOUGH SO THAT AT SOME FINAL POINT HE WAS ABLE TO SAY, “LORD, REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.”