Twenty-third
Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 18:15-20]
06.09.2026
Reproving Another Who Sins
1. Theme in brief
Fraternal corrections within the Church
2. Focus Statement
We have a responsibility to bring back our erring
brothers and sisters to the fold; but love and reform should be the sole motive
for doing it, and not revenge or jealousy.
3. Explanation of
the text
Today’s gospel speaks
about the attitude and concern of Christians towards their community
members who have sinned against them. In the Church, all the members have
responsibility to correct wrongdoers, even if their offence is not personally
against them. Those who are offended have the responsibility to take the initiative
to correct the brother or sister who has offended them. Jesus gives a three-stage approach to ‘regain’
(technically means to convert, 18:15) an erring member in the Christian community. At each
stage the only motive
of correcting the errant members should be fraternal love and concern for their
and the community’s good or to win them back to the community, and not revenge
or retaliation. This fraternal correction is meant to win the offender back
instead of driving him/her farther away. It is like a shepherd going out in
search of the sheep which has gone astray.
The first stage consists
of pointing out the fault of the erring brother or sister privately when nobody else is
present (18:15); the second stage consists of pointing it out with the help of
two or three witnesses,
since according to the OT (Deut 19:15) a charge is sustained only with the
evidence of two or three witnesses (18:16); and the third stage consists of
reporting the matter to the Church or community only when he/she refuses
to listen even to the witnesses (18:17).
If a member refuses to
listen to the Church also, he/she should be treated as Israelites would treat a
Gentile and tax-collector (18:17). Since both these groups were excluded
from the mainstream of Judaism, the implication is that such offenders should
be excluded or excommunicated
from the community. This type of drastic step is to be taken only in serious
matters when the welfare of the whole community is at stake, and when first two
steps become fruitless.
This power to exclude
the hardhearted
sinners from the community also has the aim of bringing them back to the fold
when they feel the pinch. This disciplinary action is one of the aspects of the
power of binding
and loosing – a power given only to Peter earlier (16:19) is now given
to the whole Church or community (18:18). The expressions “binding” and
“loosing” could mean the authority to declare what is forbidden and what is permitted.
Jesus promises his disciples that God himself will stand behind their decisions on
grave matters. In other words, the decisions of the community are equated with
the judgement of God.
Further, Jesus promises
to be with the community where ever two or three of them gather in his name
for prayer or for decision-making, such as bringing back those members who sin
against them (18:20).
4. Application to life
We notice in our modern
world there is a tendency to emphasize more individual rights and freedom than collective
responsibility
for human society or community. Whenever there are personal or group conflicts,
people prefer to walk away or break off from relationships and mutual bonds
so quickly rather than trying for reconciliation through dialogue. In contrast
to this mentality, in today’s gospel Jesus advocates the principle of our
collective responsibility to bring back the erring members of our community. If
one of our brothers or sisters goes astray, it is our duty to bring him/her
back into the fold. Today’s gospel implies that in our Christian community each one of us
is responsible
for the reform
and spiritual
welfare of our ‘fallen’ brothers and sisters through fraternal
corrections. But with what motive or intention? The text implies
that love and concern
for their reform
should be the only motive for fraternal corrections and not
revenge or jealousy.
Our community member’s going astray should not be an occasion for revenge
or to settle an old score. When we make excuse for our faults by saying, “To err is
human,” should we not say the same thing to others’ faults?
Today’s gospel motivates
us to examine how serious are we about
our responsibility
to correct those who have gone astray in our families/ neighbourhood/
religious communities/ the Church, and be concerned about their spiritual welfare
and growth. As Christians, we are not just members of a club or an
organization, but brothers and sisters in Christ. If we value our mutual
relationship within our community very highly, we should be concerned about
bringing back those whom we think are guilty of an offence or sin. Therefore,
in Christian families, parents have a responsibility to correct their children
when they do something wrong. Similarly, husbands and wives also have the same
responsibility towards one another. Priests and the religious are called to feel
responsible for the reform of their fellow priests or members of their
religious communities, especially of those members who have drifted away
from the path chosen by them. Normally, this responsibility cannot be carried
out without any fraternal corrections. Instead of shouldering this responsibility,
we often try to dodge
it by saying: “What is there for me. I am ok. Let the wrongdoers answer to
God!”
There are reasons also
to think like that. This duty of fraternal correction is a very difficult
and demanding task, because it has its own risks. Humanly speaking, it is very unpleasant
and embarrassing
to correct somebody, especially if they are our superiors or bosses. Therefore,
it involves real
love for those who sin against us or against our community; courage
to approach them; prayer for God’s grace to do so; and personal humility
from our side. Jesus lays down three-step procedure to be followed to regain
our erring brothers and sisters. Out of the three steps, the first is about
private correction. Why private? Our love for one another and concern for their
reform or welfare should be such that we take care of protecting the good name of
wrongdoers in our community. We also have a duty to protect them against public
embarrassment. By private correction we prevent the matter from becoming a
public knowledge. It also gives them a chance to reform. Since correcting others is
difficult and risky, what many of us do normally is to gossip about them in their
absence or behind their back. Sometimes, we indulge in systematic criticism of others
with the intention of putting them down or teaching them a lesson. This is like punishing
them in their absence and allowing them to remain in their sins and offences. This
bad habit puts the offenders to public exposure and spoils their good name and
dignity.
There are quite many realistic and unrealistic fears in us that prevent us from
correcting the erring members of our families, neighbourhood and religious
communities or clergy. Fear of displeasing, hurting, facing a hostile reaction,
revenge, backlash, entering into a quarrel, straining or breakage of
relationship, difficulty in working/ living together and getting cooperation or
favours from the wrongdoers, etc., often prevents us from correcting others – sometimes
even our own family/ religious community members and friends. Our worst fear
comes sometimes from the need to correct the religious leaders and heads of
religious institutions within the Church. Most often we are ‘mortally afraid’
of correcting such leaders or heads of institutions, due to the possibility of negative
consequences for ourselves and others. Instead, we indulge in destructive
criticism of such authorities at their backs. Due to this, sometimes
the authorities remain unaware (or only partially aware) of their unacceptable
behaviour and continue in it. They have no way of getting any ‘feedback’
about their bad behaviour or actions from those who are under them. In that
case, how can they correct themselves? As Jesus tells us in today’s gospel,
before bringing the matter to the public forum, it is necessary to go either privately
or with two or three respectable persons to discuss the matter with the erring
leaders. But it has to be done out of love and keeping in mind their as well as
the Church’s welfare. Though there are above-mentioned risks in this, if we
really love the Church or our local Christian community, such risks are to be
taken as our crosses through which alone victory may emerge.
Further, today’s message
cautions all of us against our judgemental attitude towards the faults and
wrongdoings of others, while we ourselves remain closed to receive any
correction from them. All parents, teachers, Church leaders and religious heads
who correct others have this challenge before them: “Do we, who often correct
others, want to be corrected by them?” Here comes the real test of their humility.
Are we justified in correcting others if any of us react against those who
point out our faults politely and privately, saying, “Who are you”? Poor and
powerless people will have no voice to shout back at us: “Who are you?” We
should not do to others what we do not like others to do to us.
It is understood that today’s
gospel text is centred on the necessity of Church discipline. Jesus cautions us about the
deadly consequences of allowing sins and offences unchallenged. Extreme
toleration of sinful and immoral practices within the Church lowers her image
and she fails in her mission to be the light of the world. By tolerating sin
and allowing it to prosper we deprive the erring members a chance to repent and
come back to the right path. In that case, we too contribute to their downfall
or we too expose the whole community to their bad influence. If nothing is
done, sins of unrepentant sinners become like untreated leprosy spreading slowly to the
whole body, namely the Church. When we fully close our eyes on dangerous evil
that is spreading we also compromise the Church’s witness to the world.
The next difficulty is
the one experienced by many parents about correcting their young children when they go
astray or commit social or moral offences. Needless to say, parents have a
God-given responsibility to bring their errant children to the right path. But
the question is how? The youth become very sensitive and touchy about certain issues affecting
their lives. Many parents correct their grown-up children’s unacceptable
behaviour by rattling some ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’. There is a need to use confidence
building measures before correcting the youth. Unless the parents
diligently cultivate a spirit of trust or confidence between them and
their grown-up children by frankly sharing with them some of the upheaval
or turmoil they themselves went through in their younger days, how will the
youngsters confide
to them about these matters? For this,
they need to sacrifice some time to sit with them and talk to them. Once this
habit is formed, the young children may listen to the guidance of their
parents.
Today’s passage sheds
some light also on the custom of excommunication practised in many rural as
well as tribal societies in various parts of the world even after accepting
Christianity. There seems to be some backing for this custom in today’s gospel.
Normally excommunication is imposed as a last resort on adamant and non-conforming members (social
offenders) who refuse to admit their fault and seek reconciliation. Though the
Church respects these traditional methods of social control, tribal leaders
are called to add some Christian elements into it: (1) Excommunication should be
imposed as a ‘medicine’
(of course bitter) to make the offender realize his/her fault and repent; (2) it
should be imposed as a last resort when all other options have been
exhausted; (3) love
and reform of the offender and not revenge,
personal vendetta or extortion of maximum fine should be the intention,;
(3) it should not be misused by the village leaders or tribal headmen
purely for selfish
motives such as eating, drinking and collecting exorbitant fines; (4)
(5) it could be time-bound
with a provision to either lift it or continue it (but not beyond the death of
the offender); and (5) some gestures of Christian forgiveness and reconciliation
must be visibly offered in words and signs for those offenders who admit their
offence and show signs of repentance at the meeting.
5. Response to God's Word
In the Church, are we
responsible for the reform and spiritual welfare of our brothers and sisters
who have gone astray or have sinned against us?
Is love and reform the only motive for our fraternal corrections or revenge
and jealousy? Do we try to get a feedback of our role as leaders from others?
What is our response when others point out our genuine faults and bring us to
the right path? When does excommunication of offenders become ‘unchristian?’
6. A prayer
Lord, give us the
generosity to take responsibility to the spiritual welfare of one another in
our community. Fill us with love and genuine concern for the reform of strayed
members so that we can rejoice over their return. Amen.
