23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Correction is Christian: When it is Rooted in Truth, Directed Toward Reconciliation, and Shaped by Restorative Love (Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mathew 18:15-20, 06 September 2026) 

This Sunday’s Gospel passage (Mathew 18:15-20) is taken from Jesus’ fourth discourse in Matthew’s account, known as the discourse on the ‘community’ or the ‘ecclesial’ discourse. Today’s passage speaks about fraternal correction, and invites us to reflect on the twofold dimension of Christian existence: community, which demands safeguarding communion — that is, the unity of the Church — and personal, which obliges attention and respect for every individual conscience. To correct a brother who has made a mistake, Jesus suggests a pedagogy of rehabilitation. And Jesus’ pedagogy is always a pedagogy of rehabilitation. He always tries to rehabilitate, to save. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 2020) 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ, The Difficult Art of Correcting Another-This Sunday’s Gospel presents us with one of the most difficult responsibilities of Christian life: the responsibility to correct another person when he or she has gone astray. Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Matthew 18:15). These words are deceptively simple. They touch one of the deepest tensions of human relationships: How do we tell another person the truth without destroying the person? How do we confront wrongdoing without becoming judgmental? How do we preserve communion without compromising truth? Modern culture often gives us two opposite responses. One says, “Do not judge; everyone has the right to do whatever he wants.” The other says, “Expose the wrongdoer; make sure everyone knows what he has done.” The Gospel accepts neither extreme. Jesus proposes something more demanding: truth joined to charity, correction joined to mercy, and accountability joined to reconciliation. Christianity does not teach us to remain silent in the face of evil. Nor does it authorize us to humiliate those who have fallen. The Christian vocation is to seek the restoration of the person and the healing of communion. This is why Pope Francis observed that Jesus’ pedagogy is “always a pedagogy of rehabilitation.” Jesus corrects in order to save; he confronts in order to restore; he speaks truth because he desires life. 

Truth Is the Foundation of Charity-A genuinely Christian understanding of correction begins with the nature of truth. For St. Thomas Aquinas, truth is rooted in reality. We cannot love another person authentically if we refuse to see reality as it is. If something is objectively harmful, pretending that it is good is not charity. This is an important distinction. Charity does not mean approving everything another person does. If a physician discovers a serious illness, love does not require the physician to say, “There is nothing wrong.” That would not be compassion; it would be deception. The physician tells the truth precisely because the truth can lead to healing. Likewise, Christian correction tells the truth because truth opens the possibility of conversion. But there is an equally important Thomistic principle: the truth must be ordered toward the good. Truth is not a weapon to be thrown at another person. Truth must serve the dignity and flourishing of the person. Therefore, the Christian does not ask merely, “Is what I am saying true?” The Christian must also ask: “Am I speaking this truth for the good of the other person?” There is a great difference between saying something true and speaking the truth in love. A person can speak a true statement with a false heart. One can expose another’s sin while secretly enjoying the other’s humiliation. One can offer a correct criticism while being motivated by resentment, jealousy or pride. That is not Christian correction. 

Correction Begins with the Good of the Person-The philosophical tradition of St. Thomas teaches that every human action should be directed toward some perceived good. But our desires can become disordered. We can seek even a good thing for the wrong reason. Correction is no exception. We may correct another because we genuinely desire his or her good. But we may also correct because we want to win an argument, establish superiority, release anger, or make ourselves appear morally better. Therefore, before correcting another, we must first correct our own intention. We should ask: Do I want this person’s conversion or merely my victory? Do I want reconciliation or revenge? Do I want to heal a relationship or prove that I am right? Would I say the same thing if nobody else knew about this person’s failure? These questions reveal the difference between fraternal correction and personal condemnation. Christian correction begins with humility because I know that I too am a sinner in need of God’s mercy. The person who corrects another does not stand outside the human condition. He stands within it. I correct another not as one perfect person correcting an imperfect person, but as one person who has received mercy helping another person discover mercy. 

The Person Is Never Identical with the Sin-One of the most important principles of Christian anthropology is the distinction between the dignity of the person and the morality of the person’s actions. A person may commit a grave sin, but the person does not become identical with that sin. A person may lie, but he is not simply “a liar.” A person may fail, but he is not simply “a failure.” A person may fall, but he is not beyond the possibility of rising again. Why? Because human dignity ultimately comes from God. The person possesses a rational nature ordered toward truth and goodness and, more profoundly, is created in the image of God. Sin wounds that dignity, but it does not erase the possibility of conversion. This is why Christian correction must always distinguish between: “What you have done is wrong” And “You are worthless because you have done wrong.” The first can lead toward conversion. The second destroys hope. Jesus never confuses the sinner with the sin. He calls the sinner to something greater. 

The Conscience and the Responsibility of Correction-Today’s Gospel also invites us to reflect upon the human conscience. Conscience is not simply personal preference. It is the interior judgment by which a person recognizes the moral quality of an action. Therefore, respect for conscience does not mean telling someone, “Whatever you believe is automatically right.” Rather, conscience must continually be formed according to truth. Here we encounter another delicate balance: the Christian must respect another person’s conscience while also being willing to help form it according to the truth of the Gospel. Jesus does not say, “If your brother sins, ignore him because it is his conscience.” Neither does Jesus say, “Destroy him because he has sinned.” He says: “Go and tell him his fault.” This is responsibility within relationship. We are not isolated moral individuals. We belong to one another. Our actions affect our families, our friendships, our parish and society. Therefore, love sometimes obliges us to speak. Silence can be virtuous when it prevents unnecessary harm. But silence can also become a form of selfishness when we remain quiet simply because correction is uncomfortable. Sometimes we say, “It is none of my business.” But the Gospel reminds us that Christian love makes another person’s good, at least in some circumstances, our concern. 

Justice and Mercy-The Christian understanding of correction also requires us to hold together justice and mercy. Justice recognizes that actions have consequences. Evil cannot simply be called good. Harm must sometimes be acknowledged and addressed. Mercy, however, recognizes that the person is more than the person’s failure and that conversion is always possible. Justice without mercy can become harshness. Mercy without justice can become moral indifference. The Gospel brings the two together. Jesus does not say that wrongdoing does not matter. He takes sin seriously. But he also refuses to treat the sinner as hopeless. This is the logic of the Cross. At Calvary, God’s justice and mercy meet. Sin is not denied, but neither is the sinner abandoned. Therefore, authentic Christian correction must be both morally serious and personally compassionate. 

We say: This action cannot be accepted. But we also say: You are still loved. 

We say: This behavior must change. But we also say: Change is possible. 

We say: You have caused harm. But we also say: There is a path toward healing. That is restorative justice shaped by Christian mercy. 

Conclusion: To Correct Is to Believe in the Possibility of Conversion-The deepest meaning of Christian correction is ultimately a statement of faith: I believe that you can change. If I believed you were incapable of conversion, there would be no reason to correct you. Christian correction therefore contains hope. It says: Your action matters. Your choices have consequences. The truth cannot be ignored. But your failure is not the end of your story. The Christian does not correct another to say, “I am better than you.” The Christian corrects to say: “You are capable of becoming more fully the person God created you to be.” And when we ourselves are corrected, may we have the humility to hear God’s voice even through imperfect human instruments. 

May our parish become a community where truth is never sacrificed for comfort, charity is never separated from truth, justice is softened by mercy, and correction always has restoration as its goal. For the Christian does not seek to win against another person. The Christian seeks to win the person back. And wherever two or three gather in Christ’s name with the courage to speak truth, the humility to receive correction, and the love to seek reconciliation, Christ is truly present among them. 

Fraternally, 
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC,
Pastor