Saint of the Day: 11 August – Saint Jeanne-Françoise Frémyot de Chantal, Religious
Gospel Reading : Matthew 18:15-20
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Truly, 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 they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
What do the Fathers say?
St AUGUSTINE. Our Lord admonishes us not to overlook one another’s faults, not seeking to blame, but watching what you can amend. For our rebuke should be in love, not eager to wound, but anxious to amend.
If you pass it by, you are become worse than he. He by doing you a wrong has done himself a great hurt; if you ignore your brother’s wound, you are more to blame because of your silence than he for his ill words to you.
For often we wrongly shun to teach and admonish, or to rebuke and check the wicked, either because the task is irksome, or because we want to escape their enmity, lest they should harm or obstruct us in temporal things. whether in gaining objects we desire, or in holding on to what our frailty fears to love.
But if any one delays reproof of evil doers, because he is waiting for a more fitting occasion, or fears to make them worse, or that they may be an impediment to the good and pious living of other weak ones, or may grieve them, or turn them from the faith; this may be seen as the prudence of charity.
And they who are set over the churches have a much weightier duty , to rebuke sin; although not even he is free from this blame, who, though not in authority, knows of many things in them to whom he is bound by the ties of this life, which should be touched by admonition or correction, but neglects to do so; shunning their displeasure on account of things which he does not unduly use in this life, but wherewith he is unduly delighted.
RABANUS. He does not command us to forgive indiscriminately, but him only that will hearken and be obedient, and do penitence; that neither should forgiveness be unattainable, nor sufferance be too far relaxed.
St John CHRYSOSTOM. And He says not, Accuse him, nor, Chide with him, nor, Demand redress,—but, Tell him of his fault; that is, remind him of his sin, tell him what things you have suffered from him. For he is held down by anger or by shame, stupefied as one in a deep slumber. Wherefore it behoves you who are in your right senses to go to him who is in a disease.
St JEROME. If then your brother have sinned against you, or hurt you in any matter, you have power, indeed must needs forgive him, for we are charged to forgive our debtors their debts. But if a man sin against God, it is no longer in our decision. But we do all the contrary of this; where God is wronged we are merciful, where the affront is to ourselves we prosecute the quarrel.
St John CHRYSOSTOM. We are to tell his fault to the man himself who did it, and not to another, because the party takes it with the more patience from him, and above all when they are together alone. For when he who had a right to demand reparation, shows rather a carefulness to heal the sore, this has great power to propitiate.
St AUGUSTINE. When any one therefore offends against us, let us be very careful, not for ourselves, for it is glorious to forget an injury; forget therefore your own wrong, but not the wound your brother has sustained; and tell him of his fault between him and you alone, seeking his amendment and sparing his shame. For it may be that out of shame he will seek to defend his fault, and thus you will only harden him, while you sought only to do him good.
Sources:
Bible readings from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Second Catholic Edition, copyright © 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Quotes of the Fathers from :
Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea Translated by St John Henry Newman
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