Gospel Reflection & Homily
by: Deacon Adel Abrugena
My dear brothers and sisters,
Today Jesus gives us a practical and challenging way of dealing with conflict: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.”
Notice what Jesus does not say: Talk about him to everyone else first.
He says, go to him.
Why? Because reconciliation begins with relationship.
When we experience betrayal, persecution, misunderstanding, or animosity, as some of us in Couples for Christ may have experienced, we can easily become convinced that we already know the other person’s intentions. We know what they did, but perhaps we do not know why they did it.
And this is where listening becomes important.
La Before we judge, listen.
Before we condemn, understand.
Before we decide what someone’s story is, give them the opportunity to tell us their story.
Every person carries a story we may know nothing about.. wounds, fears, disappointments, family struggles, failures, or experiences that shaped the way they see the world.
Listening does not mean that we excuse wrongdoing. It does not mean abandoning truth. It means loving the person enough to understand where they are coming from.
Pope Francis calls this the “art of listening.” He says genuine listening is an openness of heart that creates the closeness necessary for a spiritual encounter. And he reminds us that in evangelization, personal dialogue comes first: we listen to people’s joys, hopes, concerns, and struggles before we bring them the Word of God.
That is especially important for us because we are all commissioned by Christ to evangelize. Every baptized Christian is a missionary disciple.
Our evangelization will not be effective if people see Christians who are quick to preach but slow to listen; quick to correct but unwilling to understand; quick to defend ourselves but unwilling to hear another person’s pain.
Matthew 18 gives us the path: go personally, bring others when necessary, seek the community, pray together, and work toward restoration.
And then Jesus gives us the beautiful promise: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Perhaps Jesus is telling us that reconciliation is not merely about solving a disagreement. It is about making room for His presence.
So here is the challenge:
This week, listen to someone whose story you have never truly understood. Ask, “Help me understand. What have you been going through?” Then listen, not to prepare your response, not to prove that you are right, but to understand.
And when you have heard their story, ask the Holy Spirit:
“Lord, what do You want me to do with what I have heard?”
Because sometimes the greatest evangelization we can offer is not another Bible verse, another argument, or another correction.
It is a heart willing to listen.
And perhaps, through that listening, someone who has been hurt by us, or even hurt by the Church, may encounter Christ again.
Go forth, therefore, and listen. Seek to understand. Reconcile when you can. And let the world recognize that we are disciples of Jesus not only by the words we speak, but by the love with which we listen.
Amen.