you have won back your brother. If he doesn’t listen to you, take with you one or two
others, so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not
listen to the Church, then regard him as a pagan, or a tax collector. I say to you:
whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on
earth, heaven will keep unbound. In like manner, I say to you, if, on earth, two of you
agree in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by my heavenly Father; for where
two or three are gathered in my name, I am there, among them.”

Reflect

“Losing and binding.” The authority of binding and losing was given to Peter in the
context of his profession of faith (cf. Mt. 16:19). Now, in the context of the Discourse
on the Church, this same authority was given to the rest of the apostles (cf. Mt. 18:18).
Hence, the power to bind and to lose something has become part of the apostolic
authority, which in turn is shared to the Church. The power of losing and binding is
shared to the Church that God’s grace may be channeled to the people that the
Church promises to serve. Furthermore, the context of this binding and losing
authority in today’s Gospel provides a step-bystep approach on how to deal with
a sinning brother. In the end, it is the assembled Church that must intervene to correct
an erring person. Jesus said that if such person still does not listen to the Church, he
must be treated like a pagan or a tax collector. However, we may further reflect on the
way Jesus dealt with the pagan and tax collectors. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ practice
is what his followers must emulate. Isn’t it that Jesus treated the pagan and tax
collectors with mercy and love?

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