Dear Parishioners,
As we continue to reflect on the teachings of our Lord Jesus, today’s Gospel reminds us of our Christian duty to be willing to correct our brothers and sisters when the need arises. Jesus teaches us how to carry out this admonition within our community, especially when dealing with someone who has refused to repent.
As you know, it is not always easy to correct someone without making them feel judged or attacked. There are people who set their own moral standards and care little about how their choices affect their families, neighbors, and communities.
Admonition is sometimes necessary for the welfare of our neighbor. An early step in dealing with chemical dependency, for example, is intervention. The person struggling with dependency is kindly but firmly confronted by others about his or her condition. This can be a painful experience both for the person being confronted and for those doing the confronting. The results, however, can be salutary and may mark the beginning of conversion and healing. At times, it may also lead to alienation and bitterness. Nevertheless, it remains a good example of fraternal correction. The well-being of the person demands a difficult encounter, but that encounter must spring from a desire to heal, not to hurt.
The same principle applies when dealing with other personal and social ills. The failure to correct wrongdoing has contributed to serious crises in our society, including violence, injustice, and many forms of immorality. Jesus teaches us that helping to correct and bring back those who have lost their fidelity to God is, in fact, a service to God. Therefore, you and I have a responsibility to look after one another.
All of this, however, must be done with love and respect for the dignity of the other person. Since none of us is exempt from failure or error, we should begin by humbly accepting that others may also need to offer us fraternal correction and spiritual support. We must be willing not only to speak the truth in love but also to receive that truth when it is offered to us.
The love that Saint Paul enjoins upon us is beautifully expressed in the words of the Prophet Ezekiel: “If you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, I will hold you responsible for his death.” These words remind us that genuine love cannot remain indifferent when another person is walking toward destruction.
Our love must therefore extend to those attitudes and actions that prevent our neighbors from truly loving God, themselves, and their destiny. Jesus says, “If your brother listens to you, you have won him over.” The goal of fraternal correction is not to condemn, embarrass, or defeat another person, but to win that person back—to restore communion and lead him or her toward the truth.
When correction is offered with humility, patience, and genuine love, Christ himself is present in that encounter. Therefore, do not be afraid to speak up when love requires it. At the same time, let us remember that correction must never become an excuse for judgment, pride, or condemnation. “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
May the Lord give us the courage to speak the truth, the humility to receive correction, and the wisdom to do both with love.
Sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Vitalis Anyanike, Pastor
