Reading 1
Thus says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die, "
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, "
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that 'every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
Reflection
Today's readings present one of the harder ways to love our neighbor: fraternal correction — that is, the loving correction of a wrong. Many of us shy away from it, whether from fear of another's reaction or indifference to what others do. Yet St. Paul reminds us in the second reading that every moral precept is summed up in one command: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Sometimes love requires leading another away from the harm of sin. As the Catechism teaches, "charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction" (CCC 1829). Calling out sin, then, is not opposed to love — it is an essential part of it.
In the first reading, the Lord appoints Ezekiel a watchman over the House of Israel. Because of this office, Ezekiel bears responsibility for the wicked if he fails to warn them: “If…you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,” the Lord says, “the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.” We may not share Ezekiel's exact role, but this reading reminds us how serious our responsibility is to help others avoid the danger of sin when we have the power to do so.
Because correction should be an exercise of charity, it should be guided and measured by charity. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Our approach should never be one that seeks to humiliate, shame, or put others down. Our initial conversation should be private and gentle. Again, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” applies. How would we like to be approached when we do something wrong? Let us show that same courtesy to others.
Christ also shows that this work of love should not be abandoned after a single attempt. If a private word fails, He tells us to return with one or two others. This progression also comes from the logic of love. True charity knows that it is better for our neighbor to stop sinning than to save face in front of a few people. But, love also desires to minimize our brother’s shame as much as we can, hence why we turn to one or two others before we make the matter public.
If an action cannot be described as loving our neighbor as ourselves, we should not do it. So, we should not correct from frustration, arrogance, or malice; not when our words would only drive someone deeper into sin; and not when we are guilty of the same or worse fault ourselves, in which case humility should keep us silent until we can speak with a clean conscience. True fraternal correction flows from charity and is measured by charity; anything less is mere criticism.
Let us ask for the grace to let love govern all we do. May Jesus, who Himself corrected with perfect love, teach us when and how to speak to our neighbor — and when we are the ones corrected, may Our Lord help us receive those words as the gift of charity they are, rather than resist them.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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