The Mark That Saves and the Mercy That Restores

Ezek 9:1-7; 10:18-22, Psalm: 112, Mt 18:15-20

Memorial of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, religious

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, a woman of profound faith who faced immense personal sorrow and founded a religious order dedicated to the Sacred Heart, the Word of God presents us with a sobering vision and a hopeful promise. The prophet Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord departing from the Temple, while a man in linen marks the foreheads of those who lament the city’s abominations. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches the way of fraternal correction: if your brother sins, go and tell him his fault, win him back, and if he listens, you have gained your brother. Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in their midst.

In the Book of Ezekiel, the glory of the Lord leaves the Temple, and the city is given over to judgment. But a man in linen is sent to mark the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over the abominations of the city. The mark is a sign of protection—a foreshadowing of the cross, the sign of salvation. Those who are marked are spared. The judgment falls, but mercy prevails for those who mourn over sin.

In the Gospel, Jesus gives a practical and loving way to deal with sin in the community. If a brother sins, go to him privately. If he listens, you have gained him. If not, take one or two others. If he still refuses, tell it to the Church. And if he refuses to listen to the Church, treat him as a Gentile or a tax collector—not as an enemy, but as someone who is still outside the community, still in need of mercy. Jesus then promises, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” He is giving the Church the authority to forgive and to restore. He is promising that where two or three gather in His name, He is present.

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal lived this Gospel. She was a widow and a mother who suffered great loss but found her strength in prayer and in the Eucharist. She was a woman of mercy, who worked tirelessly for the poor and the sick. She founded the Visitation Order with Saint Francis de Sales, dedicated to the gentle love of the Sacred Heart. She knew that the mark of the Christian is not judgment, but mercy. She once said, “Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him. That is the way the soul finds peace.”

Pope Benedict XVI, reflecting on Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, said, “She teaches us that holiness is not a distant ideal but a concrete reality lived in the ordinary circumstances of life.” Pope Francis has said, “The Church is not a customs house; it is the house of the Father, where there is room for everyone with all their problems.” And Saint Francis de Sales, her spiritual director, wrote, “Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing is so gentle as real strength.”

What does this mean for us? We are called to be marked with the sign of the cross, to bear the mark of the One who saves. We are called to be a community of forgiveness, where we confront sin with love and seek to restore the sinner. We are called to be like Saint Jane Frances de Chantal—women and men of mercy, who trust in God’s goodness and extend His mercy to others.

This week, let us examine our hearts. Are we marked with the sign of mercy? Do we confront sin with love, or with judgment? Do we seek to restore our brothers and sisters, or do we write them off? Let us be a community where two or three gather in His name, and where He is present to heal, to forgive, and to restore. Amen.

May God bless you all!

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