"If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, knowing that you are my Creator and Redeemer, and that you live in my soul through Grace. I hope and trust in you, knowing that you will never abandon me, and with you I can do all things. I love you, but I know how weak my love can be. I want to love you sincerely, with a love that goes beyond mere words and is shown in my actions. I thank you for the many benefits that you have given me, especially the tremendous gift of my Catholic faith and my relationship with you.

Petition: Lord, help me to overcome human respect, help me to see the corrections and example of others, and the sacrament of Confession as your way of helping me to become more Christ-like.

1. Human Respect: The Guillotine of Saints. How often we hold back from doing the right thing or saying the proper thing because we are afraid of what the other person might think. We could be so much more faithful to Christ if we werent so concerned about the opinion of men. We could do so much more good. The flip-side of being willing to say the truth is being willing to listen to it. Why do we get offended when others try to help us, when they speak the truth? However, the key to what Jesus tells is that we seek the other persons good in what we say, and not our own satisfaction. The key is the genuine love that motivates us. Only love will save us from taking offence at every minor slight and feeling the need to correct every single detail that bothers me; love will help us practice the love that forgives all things, bears all things, that does not seek its own benefit, and it will allow us to tell when it is time to keep silent and time to speak out.  

2. Whatever you bind or loose on earth is bound or loosed in heaven Jesus gives unprecedented power to his apostles, If his contemporaries were scandalized that Jesus acted like God by forgiving sins, how much more are our contemporaries justified in being scandalized that we believe Jesus gave this power to his chosen apostles, to be passed on to others. If we ever forget who Jesus is we will surely never be able to understand him.

Whatever you loose on earth Jesus wanted to make sure the direct and immediate access that sinners had to his pardon by simply going to him would not be lost when his life on earth ended. He also wants to make sure that we would never be without his direction and guidance, Whatever you bind The power to forgive and to govern given to his apostles is Jesus love reaching out to us through his chosen instruments. Some are called in every generation to be that presence of his love.     

3. When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. Christ tells us one of the consequences of this unusual saying: if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. He is speaking of his Church for we are Christians, and therefore gathered in his name. The Church is not only the great mass of his followers, we have to make sure that even in our smallest gatherings we are truly his, and that his Spirit is what guides us. The Spirit makes us of one mind and one heart with Christ. The Spirit guarantees that we will be faithful to Christ and ask in his name only for what will please him and be according to his Fathers will. 

Prayer, therefore, requires our endeavor to unite our mind and will with Christs, to make him truly present in our life and heart, so as to pray as he would.  The Our Father is how he would like us to pray.

Conversation: Thank you for promising to remain with us. You are really present in the Eucharist, you forgive and govern us in the successors of your apostles, and you promise to be spiritually active and present in your Church, wherever your followers gather. Teach me truly to seek your way, not to be afraid to act at all times and in all circumstances in a way that pleases you rather than men, being influenced by your judgment rather than mens. Grant me the fortitude of your martyrs, for you called me too to be your witness.

Questions:

1. When do I tend to be influenced by the judgment of my peers rather than Gods, when am I inconsistent with my Baptism?

2. How often do I use the sacrament of Reconciliation to receive Gods forgiveness and grow in his grace? Would it help me to receive it more often?

3. Do I think of what God might really want before I pray?