Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
"If you want to avoid arguments, don't talk about religion or politics." How often have you heard that sage advice? However, following that advice means ignoring the slow drift of our culture and society away from the Christian ethic as well as our responsibility to offer "fraternal correction" in the face of error.
St. Matthew offers a threefold plan for the resolution of conflict within the community of the Church. The word "Church" is used in only two instances in the Gospel. We heard the first instance a few weeks ago when Jesus told Peter that he would build his church on the rock of Peter. Today's Gospel reading is the second instance.
St. Matthew's plan for conflict resolution is drawn straight out of Jewish law. We shouldn't be surprised at this since St. Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience. The plan is also culturally sensitive since it starts out trying to resolve the conflict in private before anyone can incur shame or dishonor. The second step, negotiation, involves at least two witnesses, another Jewish provision. Finally, the community itself is brought to bear. If the conflict cannot be resolved, the community is instructed to treat the sinner as a "Gentile" or a "tax collector." These two designations are code words. The person is to be treated as an "outsider." While this might not seem to be a very powerful disincentive, we must remember that Middle Eastern culture is based upon "belonging."
However, before we travel to far down the road of excluding people, we must stop and consider who is writing this. Matthew was a tax collector; Matthew was an outsider. While the tax collector of St. Mark's Gospel is identified as Levi, Matthew makes a point of changing the name to his own. How did Jesus "include" Matthew? How did Jesus convince Matthew to change? He did it with a simple invitation, "Follow me." There was no public shaming, no recriminations, no lectures, no scolding. Jesus simply reached out to a man who was on the outside and invited him to be on the inside. We would be wise to follow that example.