Gospel in Art: Where two are gathered in my name, there am I among them

Siewca. Anioł Pański, Przed siewem, by Marian Zarembski © Dom Aukcyjny Polswiss, Warsaw

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 6 September 2026
Matthew 18:15-20

At that time: 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 gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.'

Reflection on the painting

Most of us can probably think of someone who has been important on our journey of faith. Perhaps it was a parent or grandparent who first taught us to pray, a priest whose words stayed with us, a teacher, a friend, or simply someone whose quiet example showed us what it meant to live as a Christian. Sometimes these people encouraged us; sometimes they challenged us. Very often, they may not even have realised the influence they were having. Yet, looking back, we can see that God used them to bring us closer to himself. And perhaps (and hopefully!) there are people who could say the same about us.

That is at the heart of today's readings: we have a responsibility for one another. We are called not only to come closer to God ourselves, but to help others come closer to him too. Jesus makes this very practical in today's Gospel. When someone has done wrong or begins to lose their way, Jesus does not tell his disciples simply to condemn them or abandon them. He tells them to go after them, and try to bring them back to God.

None of us makes the journey to God alone. Christianity is a faith of companionship. Sometimes I may help carry you; sometimes I will need you to carry me. Sometimes my words may point you towards Christ; sometimes your example may point me back towards him. Parents have this responsibility towards their children, priests towards their people, friends towards one another, but in some sense every Christian has it towards every other Christian. We are fellow pilgrims, helping one another towards the same destination.

Our beautiful painting by the Polish artist Marian Zarembski (1860-1918), painted in 1888, is known as The Sower, but also as The Angelus or Before Sowing. It shows a very ordinary moment in rural life transformed into something deeply sacred: a father transferring the faith to his daughter. He has stopped his work in the fields and kneels with his little daughter to pray. Behind them we see the freshly ploughed earth, the oxen and plough waiting in the distance, while beside them lies the sack of seed that will soon be scattered across the land.

But perhaps the most touching detail is in the father's hands: the rosary. He holds his daughter close to him as they pray together. Her little hands are joined while his arm gently surrounds her. He is therefore doing two kinds of sowing! Soon he will rise and sow seed into the earth, hoping that in time it will grow and bear fruit. But at this very moment he is sowing another kind of seed: the seed of faith in the heart of his daughter. He is teaching her to pray, not through a lesson or a book, but simply by praying with her.

It beautifully illustrates today's Gospel. We sometimes imagine that bringing people to God requires great words or dramatic acts. More often, faith is passed on through small gestures such as this: a parent teaching a child to pray, a grandparent making the Sign of the Cross with a grandchild before a meal, a friend inviting another friend to Mass, or someone quietly saying, 'I will pray for you.' We are all sowers. Someone once planted the seed of faith in us, and now we are entrusted with planting that same seed in others.

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-18-15-20-2026-2/