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Reading from the book of Deuteronomy. In
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those days Moses went up from the steps
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of Moab to Mount Nebo to the top of
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Pisgah which is opposite Jericho. The
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Lord showed him the whole land from
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Gilead to Dan, the territory of Nahali,
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the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all
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the land of Judah as far as the western
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sea, the Needf, and the region of the
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valley of Jericho, the city of palm
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trees as far as Zagre. The Lord said to
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him, "This is the land I swore to
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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I
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will give it to your descendants. You
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have seen it with your own eyes, yet you
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shall not enter it." Moses, the servant
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of the Lord, died there in the land of
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Moab according to the will of the Lord.
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He buried him in the valley in the land
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of Moab opposite Beth Peggar, and no one
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knows to this day where his tomb is.
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When Moses died, he was 120 years old.
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His sight had not failed, nor had his
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vigor waned. The children of Israel
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mourned for Moses in the plains of Moab
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for 30 days until the mourning for Moses
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ended. Joshua son of Nun was filled with
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the spirit of wisdom because Moses had
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laid his hands on him. And the children
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of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord
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had commanded Moses. There has never
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again been a prophet in Israel like
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Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.
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Nor in the signs and wonders that the
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Lord commanded him to perform in the
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land of Egypt against Pharaoh, his
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servants, and all his land. Nor in the
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mighty hand and the many and terrible
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wonders that Moses performed in the
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sight of all Israel. The word of the
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Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you, O Lord. At that time Jesus said
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to his disciples, "If your brother sins
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against you, go and tell him his fault
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between you and him alone. If he listens
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to you, you have gained your brother. If
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he does not listen, take one or two
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others with you so that every matter may
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be decided on the testimony of two or
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three witnesses. If he refuses to listen
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to you, tell it to the church. If he
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refuses to listen even to the church,
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let him be treated as if he were a pagan
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or a public sinner. Truly, I say to you,
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whatever you bind on earth will be bound
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in heaven, and whatever you loose on
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earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I
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say to you, if two of you agree on earth
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about anything they ask, it will be done
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for them by my father in heaven. For
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where two or three are gathered together
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in my name, there am I in the midst of
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them. Word of salvation. Glory to you,
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine yourself standing on a
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mountaintop, gazing out over a vast
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plane that stretches as far as the eye
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can see. You can see distant cities,
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rivers winding through the landscape,
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verdant fields promising abundant
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harvest. It's a magnificent sight full
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of possibility and hope. But there's one
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heartbreaking detail. You can see but
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you can't enter. This is exactly the
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situation we find Moses in today's first
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reading. A moment of profound beauty and
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melancholy that teaches us fundamental
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lessons about leadership, obedience, and
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the mystery of God's plans. Then Moses
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went up from the plains of Moab to Mount
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Nebo. The book of Deuteronomy tells us,
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"What a moment laden with symbolism.
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Moses, the great liberator, the man who
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spoke facetof face with God, is about to
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behold the promised land he led the
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people for 40 years to reach, but in
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which he himself will never set foot.
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From the top of Pisgga, God shows Moses
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the entire land. This is the land I
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swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when
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I said to them, I will give it to your
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descendants. I will show it to you with
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your eyes, but you shall not cross over.
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What words must have deeply touched
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Moses' heart? He can see the culmination
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of decades of journeying, but he cannot
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participate in it. But there is
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something profoundly beautiful in Moses'
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response. There is no record of
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rebellion, bitterness, or questioning.
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Instead, we read simply, "There Moses,
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the servant of the Lord, died in the
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land of Moab according to the word of
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Moses accepts God's plan with a grace
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that teaches us about true obedience and
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trust. This scene makes us reflect on
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our own lives. How often do we find
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ourselves in situations where we can
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clearly see where we want to be, but
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circumstances beyond our control prevent
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us from getting there? A professional
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dream that always seems out of reach. A
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relationship we long to restore but
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remains broken. A health condition that
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limits our activities. How do we respond
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to these situations? With bitterness or
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with the grace of Moses? The text
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continues with a touching description.
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Moses was 120 years old when he died.
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His eyes were not dim, nor was his
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strength lost. What a powerful image.
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Moses maintained his clear vision and
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strength to the end. He did not die from
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weakness or illness, but because God's
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appointed time had arrived. This reminds
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us that our spiritual vision and vigor
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of faith need not diminish with age or
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circumstances. We can maintain a clear
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perspective of God's purposes and a
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renewed energy to serve him regardless
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of the limitations we face. And then
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comes one of the most powerful
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statements about Moses. There has never
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since arisen a prophet like Moses in
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Israel with whom the Lord spoke face to
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face. What extraordinary praise. Moses
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is remembered not so much for the
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miracles he performed or the victories
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he achieved but for the intimacy of his
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relationship with God. This intimacy
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with God is what enabled Moses to lead
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with authority to remain faithful amidst
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difficulties and to accept with grace
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even God's decisions that he did not
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fully understand. It is this same
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intimacy that we are called to develop
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in our own lives. Turning to the gospel,
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we find Jesus teaching about a crucial
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aspect of community life. How to deal
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with conflict and offenses. If your
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brother sins against you, Jesus says, go
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and tell him his fault between you and
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him alone. What practical and profound
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wisdom. Jesus is establishing a process,
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a methodology for restoring broken
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relationships. First, the personal and
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private approach. How many conflicts
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could be resolved if we followed this
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first step? Instead of gossiping,
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complaining, or avoiding the person,
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Jesus calls us to an honest and direct
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conversation. But Jesus knows that the
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first step won't always be enough. If he
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won't listen to you, Jesus continues,
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"Take one or two others with you so that
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every matter may be decided by the
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testimony of two or three witnesses."
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Here we see the wisdom of involving
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others, not to humiliate or attack, but
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to bring additional perspectives and
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impartial witnesses. And if that still
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doesn't work, if he refuses to listen,
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tell it to the community.
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This is a serious step involving the
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entire community in the process of
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restoration. It's not an invitation to
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condemnation, but a lastditch effort to
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bring healing and reconciliation.
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Finally, if the person will refuse to
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listen even to the community, let them
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be to you as pagans and tax collectors.
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This may seem like a final condemnation,
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but let's remember how Jesus treated
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pagans and tax collectors with love,
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compassion, and hope for conversion.
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Even this last step isn't about
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permanent rejection, but about
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establishing healthy boundaries while
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keeping the door open for future
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reconciliation. What connects these two
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readings is the question of leadership
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and spiritual authority. Moses exercised
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leadership through his intimacy with
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God. Jesus establishes principles for
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community leadership based on love,
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truth, and restoration. Jesus continues,
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"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on
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earth will be bound in heaven, and
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whatever you loose on earth will be
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This is a powerful promise about the
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spiritual authority given to the
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community of faith. When we act in union
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with God's will, our acts of
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forgiveness, restoration, and even
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discipline have eternal significance.
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And then Jesus makes a promise that
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should fill our hearts with hope. Where
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two or three are gathered together in my
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name, there am I in the midst of them.
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What wonderful assurance. We are not
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alone in our efforts to build community,
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resolve conflict, or seek God's will.
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Jesus is present, guiding, empowering,
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and blessing. My dear brothers and
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sisters, what do these readings teach us
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about living in community and following
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God's will? First, like Moses, we are
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called to develop a deep intimacy with
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God. It is this intimacy that will give
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us the wisdom to lead when necessary,
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the strength to persevere through
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difficulties, and the grace to accept
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even that which we do not fully
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understand. Second, when conflicts
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arise, and they will, we have a clear
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path to follow. Not the path of
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avoidance, gossip, or retaliation, but
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the path of honest dialogue, the pursuit
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of truth, and restoration. Third, we
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recognize that being part of a community
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of faith means having both privileges
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and responsibilities. We have the
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authority to speak in Christ's name, but
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also the responsibility to do so with
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love, wisdom, and humility. Fourth, we
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are never alone in our efforts. Just as
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God was with Moses on the mountain,
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Jesus is with us when we gather in his
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name, seeking his will and working for
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reconciliation. Finally, we learned that
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we will not always see the complete
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fulfillment of our dreams and hopes in
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this life. Moses saw the promised land
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but did not enter it. We can work for
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changes that we will only fully see in
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the kingdom of God. But this does not
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diminish the value of our work or the
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importance of our faithfulness. Like
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Moses who maintained his clear vision
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and vigor until the end. May we maintain
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our spiritual perspective and energy to
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serve God regardless of the
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circumstances. Like the disciples, may
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we learn to handle conflict in a way
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that honors God and promotes healing.
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And may we in every situation remember
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Jesus promise. Where two or three are
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gathered in his name, he is in their
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midst. This presence of Christ is our
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source of strength, wisdom, and hope.
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May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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the love of God the Father, and the
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fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
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you all today and always. Amen.
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
