What is fraternal correction, and how is it different from judging others?

When we think of acts of charity, we often focus on the "corporal works of mercy" that are directed toward our neighbor's physical needs -- such as feeding the hungry, donating clothing or volunteering our time to attend to the sick.

As Benedict XVI stated in his Lenten message for 2012, we tend to be "very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the physical and material well-being of others," but we are "almost completely silent about our spiritual responsibility toward our brothers and sisters."

"This was not the case in the early Church or in those communities that are truly mature in faith," he stated, "those which are concerned not only for the physical health of their brothers and sisters, but also for their spiritual health and ultimate destiny."

The Holy Father then suggested one "quite forgotten" way to look out for the spiritual well-being of others -- "fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation."

Fraternal correction, as defined by the Catholic Encyclopedia, is the "admonishing of one's neighbor by a private individual with the purpose of reforming him or, if possible, preventing his sinful indulgence." The Catechism of the Catholic Church includes it as a "demand" of charity (cf. No. 1829).

Both Scripture and Tradition clearly exhort Christians to exercise fraternal correction. In Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus says, "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."

Christian admonishment is "never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination," Benedict XVI clarified in his Lenten message for 2012. "It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other."

The Pope makes it clear that fraternal correction should be a two-way street. He recalls that "Scripture tells us that even 'the upright falls seven times' (Proverbs 24:16),' and that 'all of us are weak and imperfect' (cf. 1 John 1:8)."

When we humbly allow someone to admonish us, we can be "open to the whole truth about ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord’s ways," the Pope said.

Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical Household, wrote in a commentary on Matthew 18:15-20, that "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," the preacher continued. "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."

In today's relativistic society, where many deny the existence of absolute right or wrong, it might seem inconceivable that one person could admonish another for wrongdoing.

Fraternal correction, however, rests on certain foundations, including: first, the awareness that truth exists and that actions are sometimes objectively wrong; and second, the understanding that human beings are affected by sin, yet created for eternal salvation.

These assumptions are anything but accepted in modern society. Today -- as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger famously observed at the Mass opening the conclave in which he would be elected Pope -- there reigns a "dictatorship of relativism."

The followers of this dictatorship are described by William Gairdner in "The Book of Absolutes: A Critique of Relativism and a Defense of Universals." The author observes that the "educated" person of today is "more likely to think of him or herself as proudly distinguished by the absence of 'rigid' opinions and moral values, to be someone 'tolerant' and 'open.' Such a person will generally profess some variation of relativism, or 'you do your thing and I’ll do mine,' as a personal philosophy. Many in this frame of mind privately consider themselves exemplars of an enlightened modern attitude that civilization has worked hard to attain, and if pushed, they would admit to feeling just a little superior to all those sorry souls of prior generations forced to bend under moral and religious constraints."

In order to fraternally correct our brother, we must recognize the existence of truth, and the rightness or wrongness of an act. Nevertheless, this is not an invitation to be judgmental, or to attempt to judge our neighbor as only God can.

Monsignor Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington, and author of a blog on the diocesan Web site, explained: "There are some judgments that are forbidden us. For example, we cannot assess that we are better or worse than someone else before God. Neither can we always understand and [judge the] ultimate culpability or inner intentions of another person as though we were God."

However, he continued, "not all judgment is forbidden, some judgment is commanded. Correction of the sinner is both charitable and virtuous."

"We must not remain silent before evil," Benedict XVI wrote in his 2012 Lenten message. "I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness."

Matthew 18:15-17 not only gives the exhortation to fraternal correction, but even provides the procedure to follow when correcting a brother. Christ says: "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."

Theologian and author Father Robert Barron, founder Word on Fire and host of "Catholicism," analyzes these procedural indications in a Sunday sermon posted on his Web site. He says that fraternal correction as mandated by Christ is a "spiritual application of the principle of subsidiarity," a cornerstone of Catholic social doctrine.

The principle of subsidiarity, Father Barron explained, says that "all issues should be dealt with first at the most local level, and only when it cannot be solved at the local level, should you move to the next highest level of authority. In other words, the principle of subsidiarity is a prejudice in favor of the local. [...] [With regard to Christ's recommendation on fraternal correction,] we see its moral and spiritual application."

Our Lord's exhortation proscribes gossiping or complaining to others about someone doing wrong. Instead, Jesus says, take the problem to the brother who is doing the sinning. He is mandating that the problem be dealt with first on a local level. Father Barron admits that following the principle of subsidiarity in this way is more difficult; it goes against what he calls our first instinct when we're wounded, which is "to complain to somebody else. [...] To say it to a third party, then you say it to a fourth party, then a fifth party [...] to everyone around you except to the one person who could actually benefit from this criticism."

It's easier to gossip, to vent to someone else, Father Barron admits, but "it doesn't actually address and solve the problem and it besmirches that person's reputation." He added: "I love when Thomas Aquinas said that besmirching someone's reputation is a violation of the Seventh Commandment, 'thou shalt not steal' -- we shouldn't steal someone's good name."

But if, as Jesus supposes, the brother ignores the correction given individually, then two or more others are to be found. The principle of subsidiarity is still to be followed: take one or two others who have seen the same thing; go to the next highest level of authority.

Father Barron considered what this next step in the procedure involves, saying that two positive consequences arise: The testimony of one or two witnesses "brings more weight to the situation," since at least two people are in agreement. This makes it more motivating for the sinner to correct his ways.

But as well, Father Barron noted, being "forced to find two or three others" is a test of the "corrector's" own perception. It forces the "corrector" to ask the question: Is this sin that I see in my brother really just my own problem, my own personality and an erroneous way of seeing things? Or do others agree with me?

If the brother ignores even the two or three, the next step is to bring in the Church -- still applying the principle of subsidiarity, since again, Jesus forbids gossiping at large. The community of the Church is acting in love, and surely with the testimony of so many, the sinner will be moved to correct his ways, Father Barron suggested. "He'll have a very hard time persisting in his denial. [...] We're not talking about a public humiliation but a loving attempt to bring the person back."

Finally, however, if he persists and must be treated as a Gentile or a tax collector, Father Barron observes, then we can ask: "How does Jesus treat the Gentile and the tax collector?" It is true that sinners might need to be separated from the community in "tough love," but Jesus gives the example of actively seeking them out, as the Good Shepherd, so that they can be brought back into the community. "Jesus does not definitively reject the Gentile and the tax collector," Father Barron concluded. "On the contrary, he becomes the Good Shepherd who seeks them out."