“Hey Homey, You’re in a Minefield!”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
September 9 – 10, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 18: 15-20
Because we are all baptized, we are called to carry our crosses each day on the road to Calvary. All of us will pass from this life and see God. Some of us will stay only for a cup of coffee while others will get to stay longer. If we are faithful, we will have a graduation ceremony in Heaven. There are a lot of other people also on their way to Calvary. We are called to encourage one another on the way to salvation. It is important that we are not too sensitive when someone says, “Father, you are a real pain in the patootie.” I already know that, and I’ll try to be better. Sometimes, we are blind to our own faults, and we may start wandering off the path Christ has set for us. We are called to warn others, “Hey homey, get over here. You are wandering off the path and into a minefield. Don’t go there. Bad move!” Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” So, we help one another by our prayers, sufferings, and works to help them carry their crosses. And conversely, they help us carry ours.
Instead of the terms “admonition” and “correction,” I prefer the term “encouragement.” You don’t know anything about the crosses people are carrying and whether their crosses are their own fault, the fault of their parents, or the fault of their siblings. We have no idea of the life they have led. So rather than admonishing or correcting someone, I prefer encouraging them because it goes a lot further. Sometimes a correction or threat is just an attention-getter. But once you have their attention, encourage them. In religious life, we call that fraternal correction. However, it is usually infernal correction. Our Lord said, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” We tend to think of ourselves as superior because, well, we are us. I like to use fraternal encouragement. Most people know they’ve made mistakes, so you don’t need to remind them. They need encouragement to try to do the right thing to get back on, and stay on, the path Christ has set for us. It’s hard to take up our daily crosses. So, we need to encourage one another. That’s why God gives Himself to us in the Sacraments.
I remember once running a Physical Training (PT) test. The Army has since then changed the rules, but before when someone was failing – and you don’t want anyone to fail – when nobody was looking, you would pick them up and run with them. Their feet would barely touch the ground. And if an official was around, we would set them down and say, “Now run.” We were running this one PT test, and I had my assistant run back to encourage the stragglers because nobody wants to take the test again. This one soldier said, “I can’t do it, Sir! I can’t do it! I’m going to be sick!” Shut up! You can do it. She made it, and she made it within the timeline. And true to her word, she was ill. Oops! Later, she came back to me she said, “Thank you for helping me.”
We are called to encourage one another with our crosses on our way to salvation. A couple of things about our crosses and encouraging others with theirs is that we all have them, and we are no more holy than anyone else. Even if someone is at fault, and even if it approaches the level of Civil Law, you cannot make it public because doing so would be scandalous and sinful. Bishops are very good at scandal. They really are. You have to give people a way back and a way to regain their good name. It is very hard for some people in the Church to do that even though, according to Civil Law, you can have your record expunged. We have to allow people a way back because we are men, not angels.
A priest once told me he had been suspended. Now, I’m not a Canon lawyer, but I’ve seen one on television. I asked this priest if he had received a letter. He had not. I told him that once he received a letter, it would tell him what he had done and what he needed to do to come back. This is a medicinal remedy and not a punishment. We are not in the punishment business; we are in the helping people obtain salvation business. Remember, the amount of mercy we show is the amount of mercy we will receive.
Father’s Reflections . . . Monday is the anniversary of 9/11, and it reminds me of a quote by George Orwell: “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And having worked with some of them, yes, we did.
I had an interesting phone call the other day. Usually, the calls I get go like this: “Father, yada yada yada, blah blah blah.” And my response is, “Oh not again! Please, just leave me alone!” But this call was really nice and interesting. The person said, “Father, I’m not a member of your parish, but I have Covid, and it’s terrible. Would you please pray for me?” Thank you! I love messages like that. It was a really nice phone call which is better than the ones I usually get. And yes, I did pray for the caller.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
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