St Paul speaks of the debt of mutual love. This is a general principle applying to all relationships, but it applies more specifically in the context of our relationship
with each other in Christ as members of his Mystical Body, the Church. In the Gospel Our Lord spells out what this means in concrete terms. In a world of fallen
humanity there will always be disagreements. As far as possible these should be resolved informally and directly – ‘fraternal correction’ - but if this fails, they should
be resolved within the community of the Church.

Christ gives the power of binding and loosing to the Church as a whole, each community presided over by the Apostle or their successors. He even envisages what today we would call ‘excommunication’ for those who refuse to listen since they are ignoring not simply a human judgement but the voice of God speaking through his Mystical Body.

Conversely, our Lord also tells us that the power of prayer offered by the community is greater than that of the same people praying in a purely individual way. “If two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name I shall be there
with them.”