At 12 noon today, the Holy Father Francis appeared at the window of the study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
These are the words of the Pope in introducing the Marian prayer:
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
To correct the brother who made a mistake, Jesus suggests a pedagogy of recovery. And the pedagogy of Jesus is always a pedagogy of recovery; He always tries to recover, to save. And this recovery pedagogy is divided into three steps. In the first place he says: “Warn him between you and him alone” (v. 15), that is, do not publicize his sin. It is a question of going to the brother with discretion, not to judge him but to help him realize what he has done. How many times have we had this experience: someone comes and tells us: “But, listen, you are wrong in this. You should change a little in this ”. Perhaps at first we get angry, but then we thank, because it is a gesture of brotherhood, of communion, of help, of recovery.
This Sunday’s Gospel (cf. Mt 18 : 15-20) is taken from the fourth discourse of Jesus in the account of Matthew, known as the “community” or “ecclesial” discourse. Today’s passage speaks of fraternal correction , and invites us to reflect on the twofold dimension of Christian existence: the community dimension, which requires the protection of communion , that is, the unity of the Church, and the personal dimension , which requires attention and respect for every conscience individual .
And it is not easy to put this teaching of Jesus into practice, for several reasons. There is a fear that the brother or sister will react badly; sometimes there is insufficient confidence with him or her… And other reasons. But every time we did this, we felt it was the Lord’s way.
However, it may happen that, despite my good intentions, the first intervention fails. In this case it is good not to give up and say: “But get by, I’ll wash my hands”. No, this is not Christian. Don’t give up, but resort to the support of some other brother or sister. Jesus says: “If he does not listen, take one or two people with you again, so that everything is resolved on the word of two or three witnesses” (v. 16). This is a precept of the Mosaic law (cf. Deut19.15). While it may seem against the accused, it actually served to protect him from false accusers. But Jesus goes further: the two witnesses are required not to accuse and judge, but to help. “But let’s agree, you and I, let’s go talk to this one, this one who is wrong, who is making a fool of herself. But let’s go to brothers and talk to him ”. This is the attitude of recovery that Jesus wants from us. In fact, Jesus takes into account that even this approach – the second approach – with witnesses may fail, unlike the Mosaic law, for which the testimony of two or three was sufficient for the sentence.
In fact, even the love of two or three brothers can be insufficient, because that or that is stubborn. In this case – adds Jesus -, “tell the community” (v. 17), that is, the Church. In some situations the whole community gets involved. There are things that cannot leave other brothers indifferent: it takes a greater love to recover the brother. But sometimes even this may not be enough. And Jesus says: “And if he does not even listen to the community, let him be for you as the pagan and the publican” ( ibid.). This expression, apparently so contemptuous, in reality invites us to put our brother in God’s hands: only the Father will be able to show a love greater than that of all the brothers put together. This teaching of Jesus helps us a lot, because – let’s think of an example – when we see a mistake, a defect, a slip, in that brother or sister, usually the first thing we do is go and tell others about it, to chat. . And gossip closes the heart of the community, closes the unity of the Church. The great talker is the devil, who always goes about saying the bad things of others, because he is the liar who tries to disunite the Church, to alienate his brothers and not to make community. Please, brothers and sisters, we make an effort not to chat. Chatting is a worse pest than Covid! Let’s make an effort: no chatter. It is the love of Jesus, who welcomed tax collectors and pagans, scandalizing the right-thinking people of the time. It is therefore not a question of a condemnation without appeal, but of the recognition that at times our human attempts can fail, and that only being before God can put the brother before his own conscience and the responsibility for his acts. If things don’t go right, silence and prayer for the brother and sister who are wrong, but never gossip. and that only being before God can put the brother before his own conscience and the responsibility for his acts. If things don’t go right, silence and prayer for the brother and sister who are wrong, but never gossip. and that only being before God can put the brother before his own conscience and the responsibility for his acts. If things don’t go right, silence and prayer for the brother and sister who are wrong, but never gossip.
May the Virgin Mary help us to make fraternal correction a healthy habit, so that in our communities we can always establish new fraternal relationships, founded on mutual forgiveness and above all on the invincible power of God’s mercy.
[01019-EN.02] [Original text: Italian] – Taken from the Vatican News – Bulletin
