OT XXIII [A]: Ez 33:7-9; Rom 13:8-10; Mt 18:15-20

Fr. Avery Cardinal Dulles wrote a book called ‘The Models of the Church’.  Fr. Dulles was the son of the famous John Foster Dulles, the famous secretary of State in 1950s under President Eisenhower. It is him, the Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC. named after. Fr. Avery Dulles was raised a Presbyterian but then turned agnostic. He attended Harvard University when, one day, he went for a walk along the Charles River. He saw a beautiful flowering tree, and as he stared at it, he sensed a profound presence of God. He decided to search for a way to come closer to God, became a Roman Catholic, and later became a Jesuit priest. He was a great scholar, particularly of Ecclesiology, the study of the Church. He was an advisor to the Vatican and to the American bishops. He was also a deeply spiritual man. In 2001, Pope St. John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals when he was in his 90s. He passed away in 2008.

In his book Models of the Church, Cardinal Dulles presented models or modes of understanding the Church. He explains that the Church cannot be defined by any one model but by all models seen together. He presents five models but notes that there are many other models he could also have explained. The five models he presents begin with the Church as an Institution. This considers the importance of the Church structure, the hierarchy, bishops, priests and deacons, and the Church’s magisterium or teaching authority. The Church, seen as an institution, is responsible for the unity of what Catholics believe and how they live throughout the world. From the Vatican to the Dioceses to the parishes, the Church has a hierarchical structure.

Focusing on only the aspect of the Church as an institution would end up ignoring the Church as the People of God, Dulles' second model. Here, we understand the vital role of the laity, especially the faith formation and charitable organisations, St. Vincent De Paul, Knights of Columbus, Women Who Care, etc., ministries led by the people.

But the Church is not just an institution and ministries led by the laity; it is a place of profound prayer. The Church is where Jesus united his people in the sacraments. This mode or model considers the worship of the Church, the liturgy.

 A fourth model flows from the directive of the Lord to go out into the world and proclaim the Gospel.” This would be the Church as herald of the Gospel, its evangelical, missionary work. Our Masses end with the call to go out and bring the Lord to the world. Dulles’ final model is the Church as Servant, caring for the presence of Christ in those who reach out for help. The Catholic Church is the most charitable organization in the world. At the conclusion of his work, Cardinal Dulles emphasizes that the Church is not just one of these models but all of the models he presented united together as well as many, many more models. It is in this light that we can consider today’s Gospel as the Church of Mercy.

Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew is often called the Dissertation on the Church. In the section we have in today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples on how to care for those who turn from Him, turn from the Church. “If your brother sins against you....tell him, just the two of you. To be done privately instead of publicly. Something which is hard to do in an age of social media and public shaming and trolling. If that doesn’t work, visit him with two or three other witnesses. If that still doesn’t work, have the Church contact him. If he still refuses to change, then the Church should consider him an outsider. These steps really have to do with Mercy. The person who approaches the brother who has sinned is basically saying, “Look, you have gone in the wrong direction. I know you. I know this is not you. You are better than that.” The person is being offered forgiveness and mercy by the one he has offended and, by extension, by the Church. If the person continues to offend or is obstinate in holding on to his sin, then two or three should approach the fellow, saying, “We miss you; you belong with us. We need you to be with us. Turn from your ways and know that the mercy of God is there for you.” If the person remains obstinate, then perhaps a representative of the entire Church, a deacon, priest or bishop, might help the person understand why his actions are offensive. If the person still refuses to receive the mercy and forgiveness of the Church, he will no longer be part of the Church. Still, the mercy of God is always available for him in the Church. At every Mass, we pray that those who have been away from the Church may come back home. We always pray for the conversion of sinners, beginning, of course, with ourselves.

“Whoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” When the Church binds someone to itself, that person is part of the earthly Church and the heavenly Church. When the Church recognizes that someone is no longer part of the Saved Community on earth, then that person is no longer part of the Saved Community in heaven. But mercy is always there for that person. Many would construe this as a command to excommunicate the person. But let us consider how our Lord dealt with the pagans and tax collectors. He came to bring the gospel to them, heal them, reconcile and save them. Even should this last point be deemed a form of ex-communication, the Church teaches that ex-communication is not meant to be punitive but is regarded as an act of charity and a means of saving the soul of the person by demonstrating the eternal consequences of his action. Should a person die in mortal sin, he would be eternally separated from God. Excommunication gives a taste of this.

Through all the readings today, the Church is reminding us of our responsibility of correcting erring brothers. Ezekiel says that if we do not do that, God will hold us responsible for the death of the sinner. Today, let’s pray that the Lord may give us the wisdom, courage and patience to bring back those turning away from the Church, helping them open themselves to acknowledging their faults.