Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 6, 2026
REFLECTION ON TODAY'S READING
Praying Together
Gracious Father, I know You are with me. Here I am on this new day. Place my heart once again close to the Heart of Jesus, so that your Word may take root within me: “I tell you, if two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, my Father in heaven will grant it to you. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mt 18:15–20).
What have been those moments of communal encounter with the Lord, where I have experienced his presence? I give thanks to the Lord for them.
Lord, I wish to participate in today’s Eucharist together with my brothers and sisters, offering the Pope’s intention for the care of water.
Team Colombia.
Under the directive from the Diocese of Honolulu
St. Joseph Church has set up an egiving program to allow parishioners and guests an easier way to give. It will also allow the donors to: 1. Give from anywhere using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. 2. No need to find a check or stop by the ATM. 3. Use your Checking/Savings Account or your Debit/Credit Card. 4. Schedule gifts to occur automatically. Click on the give now link or on your phone using my parish app. “All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 16:17
Online donations may be made at any time from the comfort of your own home or any place with internet access. Online donations are credited to your tax statement for the end of the year (except when made anonymously)and you can change your account preferences and donation amounts at any time..
Saint Joseph Church Makawao - Bulletin





The Gospel Reading, Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus teaches his disciples how to settle disputes in the Church. .
Today’s Gospel reading is taken from a chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, which is sometimes called the “discourse on the Church” or the “church order” discourse. In this part of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus speaks more directly about matters of Church discipline and order. In today’s reading we find one of only three instances in which Jesus uses the word church in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew’s record of Jesus’ teaching, we can hear echoes of the kinds of issues faced by the early Christian community.
In the first part of the “discourse on the Church” (Matthew 18:1-14), Matthew addresses the Christian community’s concerns about rank. Jesus responds to the disciples’ question about who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus indicates that those who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven must be like children, and he cautions those leaders who might lead these “little ones” astray. He also responds with the parable of the lost sheep, indicating how God will seek out and bring back those “little ones” who have strayed.
In today’s Gospel reading, Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus addresses a common occurrence in the Christian community: a dispute between two members of the Church. Jesus outlines a procedure for settling such matters fairly. The victim should privately address the offender and attempt to resolve the dispute without outside involvement. If that fails, then the victim should bring two or three witnesses and confront the offender again. If the dispute is still unresolved, the matter should be brought to the attention of the entire community. If the offender refuses to adhere to the reparations prescribed by the community, then Jesus suggests that the offender may be expelled from the Church.
Jesus does not discourage disagreement within the community of the Church; he acknowledges the reality of conflict and error and offers his disciples a means for addressing such matters. It is in the conclusion to this teaching that the message of hope is found: Jesus is present with the community and will guide the community in its relations. If decisions are taken in prayer, then the community can be assured of God’s assistance.
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(https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/sunday-connection )
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A STEWARDSHIP MOMENT
In Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans he suggests that God lavishes his love upon us through Jesus Christ, who calls us to the kind of loving relationship, if we so choose it, that demands accountability. It is like, in Saint Paul’s vocabulary, a kind of “debt” that we can never “pay-in full.” But we begin to repay by following the direction of one of the most familiar statements in the Bible: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Good stewards realize that God does not call them just to love those who are easy to love, but to love the unloved and the hard-to-love people in this world as well. This week, remind yourself: “I am put here as an ambassador of God’s love.” .
—— (https://catholicstewardship.com/)
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
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