Gambling with eternal happiness

By A Pilgrim in the Wilds (from Cainta, Rizal, Philippines)

A man’s right to swing his fist ends where my nose begins.

Recently at a dinner, I listened to a guest’s bigoted remarks about a minority group not present at the table. The host tried skillfully to change the subject, but the guest persisted. Then, glancing at his young children near him, the host said softly, "Please. Not in my house. I suppose your private attitudes are your business, but when they are aired here, they become mine. I have to tell you that I disagree and disapprove. If I don’t speak out now, you – and the children here and other guests – might think that my silence is tacit approval. I hope you understand."

Today’s Gospel reflection is related to the recent Bible Sharing titled, "Living Examples," written for November 8, 2007. Again, we are being warned against setting a bad example for others and leading them astray. At the same time we also have a responsibility to make others aware of any wrongful and sinful acts they commit, as indicated by the above scriptural snippet. This is what we call fraternal correction, and which, as we can see, is deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture. Besides, it is one of the seven Spiritual Works of Mercy taught by the Church which is: To Admonish sinners. Further, such correction is hinted at by St. Paul in his Second Letter to Timothy:

2 TIM 3, 16: "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, correction, and for training in righteousness."

St. Josemaria Escriva says something important on the subject:

"There is a great love of comfort, and at times a great irresponsibility, hidden behind the attitude of those in authority who flee from the sorrow of correcting, making the excuse that they want to avoid the suffering of others. They may perhaps save themselves some discomfort in this life. But they are gambling with eternal happiness – the eternal happiness of others as well as their own – by these omissions of theirs. These omissions are real sins."

"When you correct someone – because it has to be done and you want to do your duty – you must expect to hurt others and to get hurt yourself. But you should never let this fact be an excuse for holding back."

If every spiritual leader and religious superior would faithfully and properly undertake fraternal correction of the members of their communities, then very likely we would have more and more individuals entering through the "narrow gate" and walking upward along the constricted road toward holiness and eternal life.

Unfortunately, many of our religious superiors and lay leaders want to be nice to others and be popular with everyone. Motivated by a false sense of compassion, they end up being overly tolerant of the spiritual faults and short-comings of those under their care. The members then end up "malformed," instead of being "transformed." They become religious "spoiled brats," rather than proficient Disciples of Christ. Sad to say, the same thing is happening in many, if not most, of our parish communities.

As parents, we also have the authority and the moral responsibility to correct our children and lead them toward the right path. The family, after all, is the basic unit of society and the concepts of religion and the Church start here. We all know the utmost importance of the family’s basic role in our society, and that is why today, the family is the number one target of destruction by the forces of evil and their human servants.