One Lasallian's thoughts

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From yesterday's gospel: "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. . . For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.'"

"If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector." Who is it that Jesus associates so often with, so much so that he is regularly criticized for it? Gentiles, tax collectors, sinners - those on the margins. Today's gospel is about building community, not removing people from it. If someone breaks the relationship between you and God on the one hand, and themselves on the other, the response is to continue to pursue reconciliation, even if you have to go the lengths that Jesus went to and associate with those on the margins. The first reading today places the same burden on us: "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 . . . I will hold you responsible for his death." Or, as the late coach Jim Valvano famously said, "Don't give up, don't ever give up." No matter what, we are to include, build, and reconcile God's community, because "[w]here two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

De La Salle reminds us that this applies to our own community, both of teachers and with students: "Union in a community is a precious gem, which is why our Lord so often recommended it to his Apostles before he died. If we lose this, we lose everything. Preserve it with care, therefore, if you want your community to survive." (Med. 91.2); "Do you believe, perhaps, that you are responsible for your disciples only during the time of school? . . . To give an account for their souls means to give an account of everything that concerns their salvation; to watch exactly means to watch over everything with diligence, omitting and neglecting nothing." (Med. 206.2)

Today's gospel is the story of the Canaanite woman who pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter, who was being tormented by a demon. The woman had no chance. She was a woman, trying to speak to a man in public. A social faux pas of the highest order for that time and place. She was not Jewish, or even "partially" Jewish, like a Samaritan. She was considered a "pagan". And yet, she is persistent. She brushes aside Jesus' three rebuffs and persists in her attempts, finally besting Jesus in argument. He sees her great faith and heals her daughter.

The woman's need to have her daughter healed trumped any logical, theological reasons why Jesus should not help her. So it is with us. Students come to us in great need, because "God wills not only that all come to knowledge of the truth but also that all be saved . . . giving children the teachers who will assist them in the fulfillment of his plan" (De La Salle, Med 193.3). Their parents bring them to us with great expectation and great hope, with a great desire that we will guide them through college, even though they may not have all the grade level skills, money for tuition, or the same opportunities that others in society have. Our students share this desire even if they haven't mastered turning in homework, the dress code, or having perfect social skills.

As "ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ" (De La Salle, Med. 195.2), can we ever ignore the desires of these students, even in view of their own "not a chance" problems?