Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons - 27 August 2017

It sometimes seems as though there are lots of people in the Christian Church ‘binding and loosing ‘ other people sins for them. By that I mean individuals or groups take aim at those they disagree with and if it seems sufficiently serious, such as a stance on people’s rights, particularly in the moral sphere, they will invoke Scripture, or Canon law or in extreme cases the ‘Judgement of God’ on others often to prove they are in the wrong.

It’s particularly hard when we hear very eminent faith people taking issue with others in full view of the public, causing perhaps greater scandal, that is causing obstacles to other people’s faith, by their ferocious attacks. They may mean well, but they often seem overly harsh and rigid and it puts people off religion!

Those ministering to others find that most situations are full of grey areas, events where you have to simply do the best you can for people in very difficult places. That is why mercy should be our watchword as it was for Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 18, we find the well known text of Peter being given the keys and the power of binding and loosing, but it certainly isn’t Peter’s prerogative, this is given to all Jesus’ disciples (Mt 18:18, Jn 20:23) on this occasion as first among equals he is acting as spokesperson for all. All of us involved in Christian life will have to make decisions, whether such an action is right or not and if it should be forbidden, but we must always place ourselves before the merciful Christ.

In binding and loosing Jesus never acts without prayer to understand the Father’s will. Helping people live a good and just life is part of our task, the freedom to see and hear God at work, so that they may properly discern and understand in humbleness of heart why some things lead to life and others to destruction. God is drawing us to understand the decisions we make, but we also need to ask for guidance and wisdom.

I for one am glad of this scriptural understanding of binding and loosing, because it immediately places us into another sphere of judgement, that of Christ’s teaching. He alone is the measuring stick for what we do as Christians, but we also need to note that Jesus is not binding or loosing persons, rather activities and actions, always with the quality of mercy! `In fact I can now picture Jesus writing in the dirt before the adulterous woman as her accusers melt away in shame because of their hidden sins.

What the Church and world need to listen to is this dialogue, for it is ours with Jesus too: “Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”(Jn 8:10-11)

Fr Robin is an Eastern Rite Catholic Chaplain for Melkites in UK. He is also an Ecumenical Canon of Christ Church, Oxford