The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr Alan G. Bondoc SVD – East Timor
Wednesday 19th Week in Ordinary Time
When I joined a movement called Christ’s Youth in Action during my university years, one of the good traits of being a good leader I learned was the “fraternal correction.” There were moments that we gathered together and expressed our concerns for our brothers and sisters. We let the person know the things that he/she needs to improve in his/her character. We specified his/her mistakes not in the intention of dragging or putting his/her down but to help him/her to become a better person and leader. We were able to correct our own faults and failures by telling each other face-to-face.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus shows us the right attitude to correct a person, by telling directly his/her faults with respect and love. Keep in mind that we correct a person because we care and we want to show how important that person is in our lives, being our brother or sister in Christ.
The secret of achieving holiness is to help reminding each other of our ways of life. Doing fraternal correction means that we are responsible to another other, that we are one family of God who helps one another to become holy. Fraternal correction therefore does not mean pulling each other down but rather pushing each other up to reach perfection.
