One of the things we hate hearing is the truth. The truth hurts us and so sometimes we prefer to pretend. Sometime we prefer the comforting lies than the painful truth.
On the other side, sometimes we are afraid to tell the truth because truth hurts the person. It is scary to correct people because people who lacks maturity will never accept correction. If we try to correct someone, we might even end up being the bad guy.
So sometimes it is more comfortable to keep silent and live in blissful indifference. We say honesty is the best policy but honest people are persecuted today. Honest people are threatened and killed and so we prefer not to be honest. Some of us prefer to lie and be indifferent.
Try saying to someone, “You have a bad attitude. You are a terrible person. You treat others poorly. You have no manners. You are evil. You are a thief, return what you have stolen. You are addicted to drugs, you have to change. You are stealing from the poor. You have a mistress.” Try saying that to someone who are guilty of these crimes and may be you might end up hated, isolated, or even killed.
On the other side, if you are the one who is being corrected, you probably will hate and be angry at the person who is trying to correct you. Immature people hate correction in all forms. They prefer to continue the things they are used to doing even if it is bad. Look at the story of Herodes and Herodias in the Gospel of St. Mark (6:14-29).
Correction done in love is fraternal correction. Correction without love is libel. We correct one another through the mercy of Christ. We invite the sinner and not to judge him. We invite him to change his ways and not to accuse him or her.
Beloved brethren,
We have to remind ourselves that during our very very short life on earth, we are continually advancing towards one of these goals: eternal life in heaven or eternal fires and death in hell. One message that is obvious in our reading is that forgiveness is infinite but the chance to choose to be forgiven and be reconciled is limited.
We need one another to correct us from evil ways so that we can go home to God’s fullness. As members of the Church, it is our obligation to give our fraternal correction to our erring brothers and sisters so that they will reach heaven.
The church is the focal point in our readings today. In the Gospel, the Church is the tribunal that acts as the intercesor between fighting parties. In the first reading, the Church is sentinel that overseas. This image is a common attribution to the Church because the word sentinel means tsâphâh in Hebrew and σκοπός in Greek, episcopus en Latin, Obispo in spanish. The church has the role of reminding, of correcting, not of accusing. The second reading puts fraternal correction on point. Without love, correcting someone is an act of defamation and accusation. Love makes correction fraternal.
Who is the Church? You and me. All of us.
All of us has the fraternal and moral obligation to correct one another because we are members of the Church and the Church was designated by God to perform this role. The fullness of the moral teaching of Jesus is in the Church.
This is the reason why sometimes, the Church is criticized on the level of publicity because the Church meddles in social and political affairs. They say the Church is meddling in politics. The church speaks against politicians but they church also is dirty with scandals. Claro! But fraternal correction must be done.
Christ has to be present in our politics. Christ has to be present in our economy. Christ has to be present in our government even if the Church is dirty. The Church is not God. It is sinful as it is. The church is a community of sinners. It is a community of brothers who corrects one another and wills that one another should go into heaven.
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