One of my favorite meditations from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is that of the Two Standards. St. Ignatius has us reflect on the Standard of Satan with demons tempting us to seek worldly riches, honor, and pride, and then on the Standard of Christ with angels and saints encouraging us to seek poverty over riches, insults over honor, and humility over pride. We then must pray for God's grace to help us, and then choose which Kingdom's Standard we will follow.

Our Scriptures last week focused on confronting people who sin against us to seek a pathway of forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with them. This week, the focus is on the difficulty and failure to forgive. The book of Sirach instructs us that "wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight," and "could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?" The wrath and anger that refuse to forgive are blinders of our own sinfulness and need for forgiveness.

Our Scriptures today show us how to handle offenses against us. The Lord instructs Ezekiel to warn the wicked to try to turn them from evil ways. While the conscience of the wicked already condemns their evil actions, Ezekiel is nonetheless responsible for warning them of the consequences of their wrongdoing as an act of love. Jesus instructs His disciples to go to the offender directly to make peace, to bring in a mediator if necessary, and finally to bring in the Church as an arbiter of justice if all else fails. The goal is to "win over your brother" to help him or her see the effects of their sin and to come to repentance and move forward in peace. The guiding principle in these conversations is to "love one another" for "love does no evil to the neighbor" as St. Paul says to the Romans.