Binding and Loosing

Gospel Reflection for August 14, 2024: The Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Dream of St. John Bosco, Courtesy of the Catholic Company

“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.” Matthew 18:18

In today’s Gospel, Our Lord is speaking to His apostles and instructs them in how they ought to deal with those who are sinning against someone in the church. He lays out a three-step process for them. They are to:

1.     Go to the person alone and tell him his fault

2.     Go with one or two others to him

3.     Go to the church and let the church correct

In each of these instances, the person who is being corrected refuses to acknowledge their fault and remains in their prideful stubbornness. It is only after the third confrontation that Our Lord tells the Apostles that the person who refuses to repent out to be treated like a “Gentile or tax collector.” In the context of the day, that meant that they are to be cut off from the assembly. Today, we have the canonical sanction called excommunication for this act.

Ultimately, the reason for this serious action is because by our sins, we damage our relationship both with God as well as the rest of the Church. For some, the sin is so grievous that we also cause scandal to the faithful. Because of this, public Catholics who persist in grave errors like the support for the sins of abortion or unnatural marriage, need to be corrected for the good of their soul. Truly, that is the end that the church ought to be working for: the salvation of their soul as well as for those who are scandalized by their sin. If the public Catholic in grave sin does not repent and change their ways, sometimes, for the good of their own soul, they need to be excommunicated.

As a loving father, I would be doing my children and my household a disservice if I did not discipline my child for an offense against one of their siblings. Sometimes, I need to send that child to their room, away from the rest of their siblings, so that they can adjust their actions. I do not wish for them to stay in their room for the rest of their life. I desire them to amend their lives and to learn from this experience. This is the purpose for excommunication. It is medicinal in nature. The Church does it as a radical attempt at conversion.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that the Apostles, and their successors have the authority of binding and loosing. This authority was first given to Blessed Peter in chapter 16.¹ Peter and his successors have the first outpouring of this authority. That authority is then given to the rest of the Apostles and their successors on account of their union with Peter. Thus, the authority to bind and loose is repeated by Christ in chapter 18, which we read from today. Our Lord intentionally set up His church to run in the fashion for a good reason. That reason is the salvation of souls. All Christians are willed by Christ to be in union with Peter and the rest of the Apostles through their successors. The bishops of today, in union with the Holy Father, are given the authority to bind and to loose. If it is bound on earth, then the Father who is in heaven will hold it bound in heaven. If it is loosed on earth, it is likewise, loosed in heaven. The authority of these men and their successors carries over from this world until the next.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the Catholic faith is that we are given a visible captain for our ship. That is not a commentary on the worthiness or effectiveness of that captain. Through 266 popes, history tells us that not all were good men. But Our Lord willed that His church always has a visible head so that the faithful could look to Rome and know that as we are tossed in this tempest of the world, there is a captain that is navigating us toward the safe harbor of heaven. Regardless of who sits on the chair of Peter and regardless of who your particular bishop is, the faithful will do well to remain in the boat. Today’s gospel reminds us that being cut off from the church, that is leaving the boat, is disastrous for our salvation. Remain in the boat and arrive at safe harbor.

1. Cf Matthew 16:18.