Ezekiel 33:7-9 / Romans 13:8-10 / Matthew 18:15-20
If we had a choice, would we want to live all alone, or would we want to live with other people?
That sounds like a rather strange question, because humans are social beings, and they live in groups or in communities.
To want to live alone would be odd, although there are hermits who live in solitude, but that is for a religious reason.
But to want to live alone seems like being anti-social and being a recluse.
However, some people may be a recluse and are living alone, but not because they choose to.
They are like some kind of outcast that people would avoid and even detest.
So, these outcasts maybe in the midst of people, but no one interacts with them, or bothers about them.
As much as they desire for some belonging to a group or to a community, they are left alone and they become lonely.
The gospel message was written by St. Matthew, who was a tax collector before Jesus called him.
Being a tax collector at that time was seen as a traitor who worked for the Roman occupiers. They would also collect more than required as they make a living out of it.
But they won't have much of a life, as they would be rejected and detested by their own people.
They would also be regarded as sinners with no hope of entering heaven.
So, St. Matthew could be writing about his own life experience as he writes that section about correcting someone.
And if that someone remains unrepentant, then that person is to be treated as a pagan or a tax collector. And St. Matthew was a tax collector.
But all that changed when Jesus called him to be His disciple. He regained his dignity and self-worth. He didn't want to be alone or lonely anymore. He wanted to live a life with others.
He encountered Jesus as the Saviour who came to seek and save the lost and the lonely.
He wanted to belong to a group that are gathered around Jesus. He wanted to experience the power of community prayer in which God will respond with signs and wonders.
St. Matthew’s story about himself is also the story of those people whom others avoid because of many reasons.
They could be difficult or selfish or greedy or people whom we detest and avoid.
But they are also lonely and they need help, and as a Christian community, we are to pray for them.
And Jesus will answer our prayer, and He will call out to them, just as He called out to St. Matthew.
For Jesus, no one is a hopeless case, and Jesus tells us that when even two or three pray for these people, nothing and no one is impossible for God to change.
The Archdiocese has designated this weekend to be Catholic Education Sunday.
We are reminded of what education is about, and specifically what Catholic Education is about.
The purpose of education is not merely about preparing a student to be able to make a living.
Education is about forming a young person to live a meaningful life.
Catholic Education prepares a young student to live life with the faith community.
Together with the parents and teachers, the faith community educates and forms the young students in the way of love and forgiveness.
Our children, the students, need to encounter the presence of Jesus in the celebration of the Eucharist.
They need to experience the power of community prayer, praying for the lost and lonely, and for the conversion of sinners.
They need to see the signs and wonders from God, and that people who are like St. Matthew the former tax collector, can change and become better persons.
The mission of educating and forming the students is not just in the hands of Catholic educators.
Catholic educators need to be supported by parents and the faith community with prayer and encouragement.
With God's blessings through Catholic education, every student can be formed into a saint.
As we gather in worship, let us pray for Catholic educators and students, and our prayer will be granted by God our Father.