NOTES for Mat 18:18-22

We cannot fail to notice that in today's Gospel reading Christ reveals to us the way in which God chose to be present in our world. Where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in our midst. It is precisely this union of us in His name that God expects from us, and when it happens, He unfailingly comes to us. For if two of us agree to ask God for something together, He cannot fail to be present, because it was precisely for such agreement and union that He created us. The reverse is also true: for us to find ourselves in God's presence and come to Him, we must agree with one another. This means that what becomes significant for us is not our personal problems, but another person and that person's life. And this is an essential aspect of our likeness to God.