What it really means to become small to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos
WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO MAKE YOURSELF SMALL TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?
"During that time, Jesus told his disciples: “If your brother commits a crime against you, go and admonish him between you and him alone; if he will listen to you, you will have gained your brother; if he doesn't listen, take one or two more people with you, so that everything is resolved on the word of two or three witnesses. If he doesn't listen to them, tell the community; and if he won't even listen to the community, be to you like the pagan and the tax collector".
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Author
Hermit Monk
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.HTTPS://youtu.be/4fP7neCJapw
One religious man who had a very practical sense of things and of men he often told me that societies are beautiful, in odd numbers, less than three. The old saying aimed to underline that as soon as communities expand in number and territorial distribution, problems immediately arise and, so, the need to derive rules to resolve them or at least contain them. The this Sunday's evangelical page, which reports some sayings of Jesus in this sense, in fact, it seems to have arisen from the difficulties that arose in the Judeo-Christian communities at the end of the 1st century AD. Here is the evangelical passage:
"During that time, Jesus told his disciples: “If your brother commits a crime against you, go and admonish him between you and him alone; if he will listen to you, you will have gained your brother; if he doesn't listen, take one or two more people with you, so that everything is resolved on the word of two or three witnesses. If he doesn't listen to them, tell the community; and if he won't even listen to the community, let him be to you like the pagan and the tax collector. Verily I say unto you: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Truly I tell you again: if two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, my Father who is in heaven will grant it to him. Because where are two or three gathered in my name, there I am among them" (Mt 18, 15-20).
We are in chapter eighteen of the first Gospel which reports the so-called "speech to the community" introduced by Jesus' gesture of placing a child at the center of the disciples and asking them to make themselves small like him to become "the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"1. Below is the invitation not to scandalize the little child and not to despise him, under penalty of a miserable end down in 'Gehenna' where he will lie like an abandoned object in a landfill, while him, the little one, it will always have an angel above who will gaze at the face of God the Father.
Jesus' concern arises from the awareness that Christian communities, as it was for the first nucleus of his disciples, they will be crossed by relational and power dynamics that could generate scandals which will discredit the Christian experience not only in the eyes of the world, but they will also manage to weaken relationships within them; in particular towards those whom Jesus calls small and weak, who will necessarily accuse certain behaviors more than others. For Jesus no one should get lost, especially those who are in a minority position. In fact, before today's passage he narrated the short parable of the lost sheep:
«What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, he will not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go looking for the one that is lost? Verily I say unto you: if he can find it, he will rejoice over that one more than over the ninety-nine that were not lost. Thus it is the will of your Father who is in heaven, that not even one of these little ones gets lost"2.
there, At that time, below sort of road map of the behavior to follow if the sinner's situation arises and causes scandal and division. In Jesus' words we hear the echo of experiences concretely lived in communities wounded by certain sins, who questioned their leaders in order to formulate gradual indications, to discretion and respect towards everyone. But also with firmness, as underlined by the repetition of conditional propositions five times, in the short space of three verses: «If your brother; If he will listen to you; If he won't listen; If he doesn't listen to them; If he doesn't even listen to the assembly". Testimonies of an ecclesial reflection on the concrete cases that occurred and of the birth of a disciplinary practice with rules and limits aimed at preventing the disintegration of the community and that certain episodes are repeated. This experience has developed a practice to follow if these situations arise:
« Go and admonish him between you and him alone; Take one or two people with you; Tell the community; May he be for you like the pagan and the publican".
These are clearly those sins that undermine communion in the Christian community, therefore of public faults and not just interpersonal ones. Why in this case, if it were a problem that arose between two believers, the only way forward would be that of forgiveness without measure:
«Then Peter approached him and said to him: "Gentleman, if my brother commits sins against me, how many times will I have to forgive him? Up to seven times?”. And Jesus answered him: “I don't tell you until seven times, but up to seventy times seven"". (Mt 18, 21-22).
But in the case of a public fault which causes damage to communion, despite Jesus' parable about lost sheep and teaching on forgiveness, the path to follow, done everything possible and with the community with its back to the wall, may even reach the painful choice of separation. We have a memory of it in the words of Saint Paul who knew a lot about community life:
"We hear that some among you are living a disorderly life, without doing anything and always in turmoil. Such people, urge in the Lord Jesus Christ, we order you to earn your living by working calmly. I will, siblings, do not get tired of doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of him and break off relationships, because he is ashamed; However, do not treat him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother"3.
And elsewhere:
«We urge you, siblings: admonish those who are undisciplined, give courage to those who are discouraged, support those who are weak, be magnanimous with everyone"4.
So how does this fraternal correction happen? if in a community a member sins ("If your brother commits a crime against you - But if your brother sins against you»)? In the Greek text we find the verb 'amartano – ἁμαρτάνω' which has the meaning of err, fail and by extension also sin and become guilty. The v.15 contains the expression 'against you' (in to), present in many witnesses of the text, but absent in others. In my opinion, if we keep as true what was said above about the difference between a public sin that undermines ecclesial communion and an interpersonal one, it could be an addition to harmonize the present sentence with the one that Peter will address to Jesus shortly afterwards and reported above: "Man, if my brother commits sins against me, how many times will I have to forgive him?»; a fairly frequent effect among copyists. If a brother sins, what then will be the process to follow for a truly Christian correction?? The journey will be carried out in three steps. First of all, personal correction, «between you and him alone», because if the brother listens and repents, the problem will be solved without the embarrassment of involving others. If this listening is not activated, the involvement of two or three witnesses will be necessary, as Deuteronomy already predicted: «A single witness will have no value against anyone»5. In this way, both the rights of the accused person and the solidity of the testimony brought to bear on 'every word' will be guaranteed. (became. pledge rhêma; the CEI text has: everything). We still remain at the level of dialogue and the possibility of explaining oneself, when speaking in the Church gives the opportunity to present one's opinions and open up to mutual listening. But if even in this case the audience declines then "tell it to the Church". The last instance will be the ecclesial community, the local assembly. The correction must at this point take place in the broader context of the entire community. But, both in a one-on-one relationship, than in front of some witnesses or in front of the assembly, the discriminating element of the correction will remain the relationship and the ability to listen. In other words that inner freedom, with the humility and openness that recognize the goodness of the reproach made and which leads to giving up defending oneself by counterattacking or denying and removing the reproach.
Unfortunately the ghost of the ego it always hovers over our personalities or our relationships, preventing true listening to the soul, both personal and community. With its tricks, which are egoic thoughts, will exercise a block that will prevent the care and listening of these souls and that is that 'returning to children' that Jesus spoke of, as mentioned above.
It is at this point that the paths of the community and the sinner can separate. When even the last instance of the correction sequence encounters non-listening, Jesus will say: «let him be to you like the pagan and the publican» (Mt 18,17). It is interesting to note that with this formula of exclusion the community is granted power, that of loosening and binding, which had previously been entrusted to the individual Pietro (Mt 16,19): to loosen and bind mean to forgive and exclude, allow and prohibit. The community, the ecclesial assembly, has the power of admission or exclusion, where excommunication will be the last choice (cf. 1Color 5,4-5)6, while the truly great power will be that of forgiveness. In fact, while fraternal correction is addressed to the sinner so that he may recognize his good, it is at the same time a gift of the Spirit7 for the same community that will never have to come to hate its brother, but continue to love him while he carries out the service of the truth:
«You will not hate your brother in your heart, but you will openly correct your neighbor, so you will not burden yourself with a sin against him" (Lv 19,17).
New Testament literature, which inevitably reports these situations, it is full of indications aimed at always considering the sinner as a brother:
«If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of him and break off relationships, because he is ashamed; However, do not treat him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (2Tes 3, 15); «My brothers, if one of you wanders away from the truth and another brings him back to you, let him know that whoever brings a sinner back from his way of error will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins" (GC 5, 19-20).
Despite the possibility of separation, ultima ratio, in the words of Jesus there persists a space where it is still possible to find oneself and that is the prayer addressed to the Father. In fact, taking up the rabbinical saying «When two or three are together and the words of the Torah resonate between them, then the Shekinah, the Presence of God, he is among them" (Pirqé Abot 3,3), Jesus transformed him by placing his person as the center of the encounter: «Because where are two or three gathered in my name, there I am among them". Despite the separation, it will therefore always be possible to pray together for any conflict. Paul will stigmatize the Corinthians' habit of turning to pagan courts to resolve disputes and quarrels that arose between Christians: «It is already a defeat for you to have arguments among yourselves!»8. Because those who believe in the risen Jesus and possess his Spirit will always find a meeting place in Him (cf.. the verb sunaghin – synagogue del v. 20: gathered in my name) and in prayer to the Father the agreement; that 'La' which will once again begin the symphony of brotherhood among believers (cf.. the verb agree, sunfoneo – symphonéo al v. 19).
In all the comments on the Sunday Gospel passages which up to now I have produced for the Readers of The Island of Patmos I have kept as leitmotif the underlying theme of faith in Jesus. Because it seemed necessary to me, especially in the current era of the Church, do not forget how pre-eminent - not greater but in harmony with the works of charity - is faith in the risen Christ who represents the true 'specific' Christian. That faith in Jesus that opens horizons of meaning, it makes us full of visions, it becomes the hermeneutic capacity of the time we are given to live. Sometimes it risks disappearing from the horizon of the Church when it thinks it is bigger than Jesus who makes himself small, like that child placed among the disciples spoken of at the beginning of today's Gospel page. And at the end of it He will once again place himself at the center among the disciples who will want to rediscover harmony after the disputes through prayer.. If this center is not lost or hidden, we will have the opportunity to experience authentic brotherhood. Brother (adelphos – brother in v. 15) it is in fact the term with which the Gospel calls every member of the community that is the Church: «You are all brothers… because only one is your Father" (Mt. 23, 8-9). Fraternity is probably the other 'specific' Christian that I think we need to recover today: in everyone's deepest feelings, in daily living, within the worlds encountered and inhabited, in relationships and interactions, even in the virtual ones where polarizations have become acute and in the liturgical assemblies which are the point of arrival and resumption of Christian life. Fraternity was the first manifesto that caught the eyes of those who met the disciples of Jesus and was recognized as their distinctive trait, mentioned over and over again in written testimonies.:
«After having purified your souls with obedience to the truth to love each other sincerely as brothers, love each other intensely, from the heart, each other" (1PT 1, 22); «From this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (GV 13, 35); «We are brothers, we invoke the same God, we believe in the same Christ, we hear the same Gospel, we sing the same psalms, we answer the same Amen, let us hear the same Alleluia and celebrate the same Easter" (St. Augustine)9.
Happy Sunday everyone!
from the Hermitage, 9 September 2023
NOTE
[5] Deut 19, 15: «A single witness will have no value against anyone, for any fault and for any sin; whatever sin one has committed, the fact must be established on the word of two or three witnesses"
[6] «In the name of our Lord Jesus, being gathered you and my spirit together with the power of our Lord Jesus, this individual is handed over to Satan for the ruin of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord"
[7] "Brothers, if one is caught in any fault, butter, that you have the Spirit, correct him with a spirit of gentleness. And you watch over yourself, lest you too be tempted."(Gal 6, 1)
[9] Augustine, On. in Ps. 54,16 (CCL 39, 668): «We are brothers, we invoke one God, we believe in one Christ, we hear one Gospel, we sing one Psalm, we answer one Amen, let us resound one Alleluia, we celebrate one Passover»
San Giovanni all'Orfento. Abruzzo, Mount Maiella, it was a hermitage inhabited by Pietro da Morrone, called in 1294 to the Chair of Peter on which he ascended with the name of Celestine V (29 August – 13 December 1294).
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