Matthew 18:15-20
Correcting your Brother by Rev. Jerome A. Magat
Reprinted with permission of "The Arlington Catholic Herald"

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Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled the Jewish prophecies.

If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.  If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'  If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.  If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.  Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Our Lord outlines for us one of the most important disciplines that Catholics and all Christians should take to heart: fraternal correction.  In a society where many persons lack moral courage, the authentic practice of fraternal correction is more urgent than ever.  Our society cringes at the thought of confrontation or contradiction for fear of “offending” another person or seeming “judgmental.”   In other cases, so many persons have lost a sense of sin that they become unable to clearly recognize evil.  In other instances, there is simple indifference to sin itself.

The Gospel mandate for fraternal correction expresses Jesus’ desire for us to fight against the aforementioned tendencies.  It should be noted, however, that Our Lord does not prescribe fraternal correction just so we can find a Gospel-endorsed reason to seek confrontations or to judge another person’s state of soul or whether or not the person will be saved (the definition of true “judgmentalism”).  Rather, Our Lord mandates that we owe each other, as a matter of justice, the charitable act of correcting each other out of love for God and the salvation of the soul of the person who has committed a wrongdoing or shown a lack of good judgment.

The prescripts for fraternal correction are very clear.  First, Jesus reminds us to approach the transgressor alone in an attempt to point out the sin and with a desire to win the sinner over to Christ.  Simply winning argument or making the best case for the correction is not the object of fraternal correction.  Instead, assisting in the conversion of the sinner and aiding them to know Christ is the main goal.  If the offending person does not listen, one or two other persons should be invited to participate in the correction.  In this way, the sinner cannot simply claim that the correcting party is trying to ”single them out.”  If others perceive the same sin and resulting problems, this testimony along with the original claim carries more weight. 

If the second level of correction proves unfruitful, the case should be taken for judgment by the Church.  If that also proves unsuccessful, the person should be removed from participation in the community until they repent of their sin.  In other words, there is no absolute mandate that offending parties should be allowed to remain in the Church at all costs.  Sometimes, it is necessary to remove individuals from the Church because of the scandal that can be given by their obstinate behavior.  Jesus gives the Church the authority to remove an individual from the ranks of the Church itself by imparting upon the disciples the authority to bind and loose sins on earth and in heaven.

The practice of fraternal correction assumes several factors:  First, a sin has been committed and it can be identified.  Second, a person of goodwill and moral rectitude comes forward to make the correction.  Third, other persons and the Church must be willing to intervene if called upon.  Fourth, the Church has the courage to remove a recalcitrant sinner from the ranks of the faithful until the sinner repents.  Clarity of thought, purity of intention and courage to take the right (and at times difficult) course of action will help sinners repent of their transgressions and lead souls to Christ.

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