Icon of Saint Basil the
Great
(329-379)
Reprimand and rebuke
should be accepted as healing remedies for vice and
as conducive to good health. From this it is
clear that those who pretend to be tolerant because
they wish to flatter--those who thus fail to correct
sinners--actually cause them to suffer supreme loss
and plot the destruction of that life which is their
true life.
--St. Basil the Great
We must accept
correction, beloved, and no one should resent it.
The exhortations by which we admonish one another
are both good and highly profitable, for they bind
us to the will of God.
--Pope Saint Clement I
Never rebuke while
you're still indignant about a fault committed--wait
until the next day, or even longer. Then
calmly, and with a purer intention, make your
reprimand. You'll gain more by a friendly word
than by a three hour quarrel.
--Saint Josemaria
Escriva
Jesus Teaching the
Multitudes
Artist unknown
"Repent and believe the Good News!"
Penance means conversion. The Confraternity of
Penitents is a world wide private Catholic
association of the faithful, completely loyal to our
Pope and the Magisterium.
Our Rule of Life has been reviewed by our bishop and
recognized in these words: "this Rule does not
contain anything contrary to our faith; therefore it
may be safely practiced privately by you or by
anyone inclined to do so. . . . His Excellency
is appreciative of your efforts to live and promote
Franciscan spirituality and especially promote the
neglected practice of penance and he wishes you
success" (January 30, 1998).
Members of the Confraternity of Penitents live this
Rule in their own homes, devoted to prayer, penance,
fasting, conversion, and works of mercy modeled on
Jesus Christ and inspired by the lives and teachings
of
St. Francis,
St. Dominic,
St. Therese,
St. Benedict,
St. Augustine,
St. Ignatius,
and all the saints, most especially Mary, the Mother
of God, who lived a life of true penance
(conversion) in perfect union with our Lord.
May Our Lady and all the saints intercede for all
who wish to embrace a life of penance, anywhere in
the world, so that the grace of God will assist them
to obtain every virtue necessary for a life of
holiness and surrender to the Will of God! Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENTS
"Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness
of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and
perfect charity, so that I may always and in all
things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen."
(Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano
Crucifix)
MISSION OF PENITENTS
"Go and repair My House
which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The
message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San
Damiano Crucifix.)
ACTION OF PENITENTS
To pray for God's
specific direction in one's life so that, through
humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may
help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of
God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the
world.
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FRATERNAL CORRECTION
"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."
Matthew (18:15-17)
Human coexistence is intertwined with
differences of opinion, conflicts and reciprocal
injustices, due to the fact that we have
different temperaments, points of view and
tastes. The Gospel also has something to say to
us about this most common and daily aspect of
life. Jesus presents the case of someone who has
done something that is really wrong in itself:
"If your brother sins against you ..."
He does not refer only to a wrong committed
against us. In this latter case, it is almost
impossible to know if what motivates us is zeal
for the truth or, instead, wounded self-love. In
any case, the instance would be more one of
self-defense than fraternal correction.
Why does Jesus say "go and tell him his fault,
between you and him alone?" First of all, out of
respect for our brother's good name, for his
dignity.
He says: "you and him alone," to give the person
the possibility to defend himself and to explain
his actions in full freedom.
Many times, what is from an outside perspective
seems to be a fault, is not in the intentions of
the one who commits it. An honest explanation
dissipates many misunderstandings. But this is
not possible when the problem is made known to
everyone.
According to the Gospel, what is the ultimate
reason why it is necessary to practice fraternal
correction? It most certainly is not pride, to
show others their errors in order to highlight
our superiority. Nor to discharge one's
conscience by being able to say: "I told you so.
I warned you. Too bad for you, if you paid no
attention to me."
No, the objective is to win over one's brother.
That is, to seek the genuine good of the other,
so that he can improve and not meet with
disagreeable consequences.
If it is a question of a moral fault, one does
so that he will not compromise his spiritual
journey and eternal salvation. The good result
of the correction does not always depend on us
(despite our good intentions, the other might
not accept it, and might become more rigid); on
the contrary, the good result that does depend
always and exclusively on us is when it comes to
accepting a correction.
There is both active and passive correction. Not
only does the duty to correct exist, but also
the duty to allow oneself to be corrected. And
here is where one sees if one is sufficiently
mature to correct others.
Whoever wants to correct someone must be
disposed to be corrected. When you see that a
person receives a correction and you hear him
answer simply: "You are right, thank you for
telling me!" you are before a person of courage.
Christ's teaching on fraternal correction should
always be read together with what he said on
another occasion: "Why do you see the speck that
is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the
log that is in your own eye?" (Luke 41-42).
In some cases, it isn't easy to know if it is
better to correct or to let things go, to speak
or to be silent. For this reason, it is
important to keep in mind the golden rule, valid
for all cases, which the Apostle Paul offers in
this Sunday's second reading (Romans 13:8-10):
"Owe no one anything, except to love one
another. ... Love does no wrong to a neighbor."
It is necessary to be sure, above all, that in
one's heart there is the disposition to accept
the person. Then, all that is decided, whether
to correct or to be silent, will be alright, as
love "does no wrong to anyone."
Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap.
[Italian original published in Famiglia
Cristiana. Translation by ZENIT]
Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
copenitents@yahoo.com
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