The first two months of this year we have focused on three Corporal Works of Mercy: Clothing the Naked, Feeding the Hungry and Visiting the Sick. This month we are focusing on one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy: (#3) Admonish the Sinner. This can sound a bit harsh and can at times, if we are not careful in our work of mercy, be mean spirited. In reality this work of mercy, admonishing the sinner, is one of the greatest acts of love that we can share in our lives because “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.“ (Lk 15:7) and “remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.“ (Jms 5:20)
In our work of mercy we are invited to seek the correction of friendship, a correction of love of the other lived and shared in example that grows blessing through grace. And it is not so difficult to understand because in truth we admonish and correct one another all the time, it is just doing it in mercy and charity that we often fail.
The first step is to recognize what sin is before we correct it. Working from the basic definition from the Catechism of the Catholic Church “Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.” (CCC 1849) Sin is when we choose to act in a manner contrary to the person God created us to be. Sin always causes a break in relationship, a loss of trust, and a loss of confidence in the goodness of the other in our life. When we choose to sin, we choose to bring harm into our relationships. And how do we admonish the sinner in a broken moment of trust? First and foremost we recognize that sin is always connected to mercy, “The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners.“(CCC 1846)
And with Jesus as our guide we can go to those small simple moments for the greatest lessons in our faith journey. We begin all good relationships with acts of kindness. Theses acts may grow into enduring love where the other becomes the blessing of life. As a priest this is my relationship with the Church that I promise at ordination. It is the gift of obedience and prayer in which love is sustained and grows in chaste and holy interactions with God’s people. I, the sinner, am admonished when I receive the corrective blessing of love from the Body of Christ (you) in the midst of sin. An example of this was when during a meeting I said words with a harshness that demeaned another member of the committee. It was the wrong thing to do (a sin) and with a warning look from a friend and fraternal words of correction, words that were stern and yet loving, the ability to seek forgiveness and move forward was shared rather than let to fester and grow in divisiveness.
To admonish the sinner is more about loving, mercy and forgiveness than it is about punishment and retribution. It is the parent correcting a child, wiping the tears in comfort and then encouraging them to do better. It is the teacher who marks the errors with the red ink and shows a different path of seeking the right and good. It is the brother and sister who live the example of faith, love and holiness to the sibling who has chosen deceit and hurt seeking healing and blessing in the family.
It is the actions of our Lord that we will hear from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (LK 23:34) Hearing the words of truth that echo throughout time and place as we seek the face of love in Jesus Christ in one another.
God Bless
Fr. Mark