First reading: Ex. 33:7–9

Thus says the LORD: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.

Second reading: Rom. 13:8–10

Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Gospel: Mt. 18:15–20

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

In other words

Fr. Ferdie Bajao, SVD (Christ the King Mission Seminary, Quezon City)

I remember my Filipino teacher in high school, Ms. Frera. She was legendary for her fits of rage when students failed to follow instructions. She could spend the entire class time scolding us for our waywardness and stubbornness in following the margin measurements on our formal theme papers. If she commanded an inch on the left and half an inch on the right, then those measurements had to be exact.

One day, many of us fell short of her expectations because she called us to her desk one by one and took out her ruler to expose our inaccuracies. I was just a few lines short of an inch, and I had to redo everything as punishment for my laxity. She would lecture on and on about falling in line, doing things right, resilience, authenticity, and the margin rules, over and over again. Oh, how we hated sitting through all those life lessons, which she insisted would help us navigate our future lives in college and beyond.

But then, her scoldings didn’t make a real impact until college. When requirements started piling up, lessons became complicated, and the pressures of college threatened to drive one mad, I noticed that I was faring well through the obstacles and challenges, even now as I continue to face life. Now, I realize the value of Ms. Frera’s lessons in those early years.

I was glad to have shared the same sentiments with my classmates at a recent reunion. We could still remember her fury and her theatrics, but more than ever, we now realized we were trained and prepared to face life properly. Of course, her pedagogies and methods were imperfect, but the goal of producing disciplined and life-ready individuals is now felt so strongly. She was right all along to prepare us for life’s battles.

These memories make me realize the need for sentinels to tell the wicked that they are wicked, as a prophet should, to dissuade people from following the route to perdition. Correction is unpleasant, yes, but in the long run, it is much more profitable to have someone to correct and guide us, or a Church to straighten out what is otherwise crooked in us, and to be humble enough to seek the wisdom of a community rooted in the Lord, in His word, in His sacraments, and in His presence in a brother or a sister.

The Gospel gives us the protocol on how to proceed with correcting one another in the spirit of Christ, from whom, as the Collect says in today’s Mass, those who believe in Him may receive true freedom. A simple example of a dedicated teacher’s impact points to the reality of Christian friends who care for our salvation, shepherds who guide, teachers who bring us to the knowledge of faith, and prophets who make sure we are on the right path. In the end, it is love for neighbor that seeks and wishes the good for others. Ms. Frera, may she be counted among the blessed departed, was a shining witness to this Gospel.