Fr Marco Lazzaron
oday’s Gospel presents us with one of the works of spiritual mercy: fraternal correction.
Unfortunately, today this care for our brothers and sisters has fallen into disuse because when we see a brother or sister doing something wrong, out of human respect, indifference, or simple convenience, we just prefer to “mind our own business”. Scripture, however, reminds us that we must not remain silent in the face of evil. In Sacred Scripture we read: “Reprove the wise and they will thank you. Give advice to the wise and they will become wiser still; instruct the righteous and they will increase in knowledge” (Pr 9:8).
There is always a need for a loving gaze that corrects and forgives, just as God has done and continues to do with each one of us. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. And Jesus teaches us how correction should be carried out, showing us the necessary steps. First of all, He speaks of a fault committed against us. When the wrongdoing is directed against us, our first duty is not correction but forgiveness. Correction should never be an immediate, heated response: otherwise, we risk not seeking the truth but rather taking revenge for our wounded pride.
Then Jesus tells us: “go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.” The worst thing would be to correct someone immediately in the presence of others. The correction would turn into a public trial. It would then be very difficult for the person to accept the correction willingly. That is why Jesus says: “when the two of you are alone,” also to give the person the opportunity to defend themselves and explain what happened. Very often, in fact, certain faults are committed unknowingly or without malicious intent, or there may simply have been a misunderstanding.
Then Jesus tells us that if the first correction is not accepted, it should be made together with two other brothers or sisters. If the person does not listen even to them, then the community should also have its say. The intervention, first of the two brothers and then of the community, is not intended to condemn, but to do everything possible to win the brother or sister back to the truth and to communion with the community.
The purpose of correction, in fact, is to win back a brother or sister. It will do us good to ask ourselves: Why do I correct someone? Is it to condemn them, or to win them back? Do I correct them because I care about them, because I want their salvation? Christian correction is never motivated by a spirit of condemnation; it is always moved by love and mercy for the good of our neighbour. It certainly should not be driven by the desire to be able to say, “I told you so!” or to point out someone else’s faults to others, nor by the desire to ease our conscience by saying, “I warned you”. The goal is always to win back a brother or sister!
And finally, so that we do not fall into the temptation of thinking that we are always the ones who have someone to correct, let us make a good examination of conscience. If we do it sincerely and honestly, we will realize that we too need to be corrected—perhaps even more than others!