Correcting our Sisters and Brothers

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Saving souls is the only thing that is important to God - everything He does has something to do with this - for His glory and our salvation. If you truly believe God made each one of us from His love then what is it you don’t understand? He wants all to be saved and He has asked our help - that being the hands, eyes, feet, voice of Christ to others. Christ tells us in the gospels to go and make disciples of all nations - ie bring to them the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. If you are really having trouble with this I would say for you to ask Mary’s help - if you sincerely ask her I am sure she will help you.
I never thought of the long-run consequences of our sins. I rarely think of the afterlife. Perhaps because I’m young. God can feel so distant in our daily lives. I never actually thought people even cared about another person’s souls. I sometimes feel this is a way to assert your superiority over another person by pointing out all of their faults.
 
I never thought of the long-run consequences of our sins. I rarely think of the afterlife. Perhaps because I’m young. God can feel so distant in our daily lives. I never actually thought people even cared about another person’s souls. I sometimes feel this is a way to assert your superiority over another person by pointing out all of their faults.
In charity I will tell you that it is you who are distant from God and not Him from you. Take a look at an average day in your life. How involved is God? Do you say good morning to Jesus or Mary? We all have time for 2 minutes of prayer. Do you talk to Jesus or Mary during the day? How do you spend your free time? with God or with the world?
The enemy wants you to stay busy in the world and not with God and what is important to Him. Don’t assume you have a full life in front of you to do with whatever you want. That is childish thinking and lacks supernatural wisdom. Are your friends worldly people or Godly people? Satan wants you to think that you should not speak to someone else about their faults. We also need to be open to others speaking to us about our faults.
 
Of course it is me who is distant from God. Correction is just something difficult for those to swallow. Seeing and acknowledging our weaknesses which can so easily be used against us. You may call it pride, I see it as avoiding vulnerability and accountability. Some have much to confess and be accountable for. Lord have mercy. The truth trumps our feelings and perception. No one likes being wrong, especially before others. Just because something is objectively true doesn’t make any easier to swallow.
Correcting someone on their sexual behavior, or appearance will always come across as judgmental. There is no nice way to go about it.
As someone who has been on the receiving end of harsh correction, I can sense when someone is presenting my flaws to shame me, elevate themselves, and to avoid facing their own faults.
It ain’t that black and white. People can use the truth and correction as a weapon.
 
Perhaps considering the eternal consequences, a few hurt feelings here and there mean nothing. Perspective. Please remember to respect when correcting others. It is difficult to be honest and correct others, and it is difficult to accept criticism
Choose words wisely. Do not give a sinner a laundry list of their offenses, they will recoil. No one is perfect.
 
Of course it is me who is distant from God. Correction is just something difficult for those to swallow. Seeing and acknowledging our weaknesses which can so easily be used against us. You may call it pride, I see it as avoiding vulnerability and accountability. Some have much to confess and be accountable for. Lord have mercy. The truth trumps our feelings and perception. No one likes being wrong, especially before others. Just because something is objectively true doesn’t make any easier to swallow.
Correcting someone on their sexual behavior, or appearance will always come across as judgmental. There is no nice way to go about it.
As someone who has been on the receiving end of harsh correction, I can sense when someone is presenting my flaws to shame me, elevate themselves, and to avoid facing their own faults.
It ain’t that black and white. People can use the truth and correction as a weapon.
What you say is true for sure - let us not do that. If someone does that to you, then you can try to get past that and see if what they said has any truth to it - perhaps after you make sure, or deal with if you have to, you don’t retain resentment towards them for what seemed to be their motivation.

As far as correcting someone’s dress - I have said “perhaps you should think about what God and Mother Mary think of the way you dress” or “try to be aware that you may be offending God and Mother Mary with the way you dress.” That’s about the best I have come up with.
 
What you say is true for sure - let us not do that. If someone does that to you, then you can try to get past that and see if what they said has any truth to it - perhaps after you make sure, or deal with if you have to, you don’t retain resentment towards them for what seemed to be their motivation.

As far as correcting someone’s dress - I have said “perhaps you should think about what God and Mother Mary think of the way you dress” or “try to be aware that you may be offending God and Mother Mary with the way you dress.” That’s about the best I have come up with.
Letting go of resentment. Easier said than done.
 
My point is being right doesn’t give you the authority to humble people or bulldoze through their lives.
Some people are lucky enough to be wise enough to have never made foolish mistakes. I think people like that can lack compassion with correction. They cannot understand how someone can act or react blatantly irrational.
I think people who love others truly are the best to correct.
Not those with insecurity issues or insensitivity issues.
We don’t live in an ideal world.
Technically we should listen to correction regardless of how it is delivered. Our pride prevents us if the person is particularly confrontational, rude, clearly delights in embarrassing us, or the only way the communicate with us is roughly or reminding us continuously of every fault we have regardless of how minor. It can be difficult to trust their criticism no matter how spot on they may be.
 
Ya know by not speaking up a person is condoning sin through silence - and, I believe, that is a sin of omission.
This is a misunderstanding about the sin of omission.

It has nothing to do with telling a person they’re committing sin, especially when that person has no interest in being told.

The sin of omission is when you avoid doing something you should do.

For instance, you should attend Mass in the morning, but don’t do so because you’re hung over from drinking the night before.

Jim
 
This is a misunderstanding about the sin of omission.

It has nothing to do with telling a person they’re committing sin, especially when that person has no interest in being told.

The sin of omission is when you avoid doing something you should do.

For instance, you should attend Mass in the morning, but don’t do so because you’re hung over from drinking the night before.

Jim
Should we only correct others if they’re open about being told?
 
This is a misunderstanding about the sin of omission.

It has nothing to do with telling a person they’re committing sin, especially when that person has no interest in being told.

The sin of omission is when you avoid doing something you should do.

For instance, you should attend Mass in the morning, but don’t do so because you’re hung over from drinking the night before.

Jim
You’re not doing something you should be doing, which is correcting your brother. Remember the two sons of Eli who stole sacrifices that belonged to God. God not only held Eli’s sons accountable but Eli himself for not correcting them.
 
Ya know by not speaking up a person is condoning sin through silence - and, I believe, that is a sin of omission.
It’s not a sin of omission to be a busy-body who feels he has the right and duty to tell everyone else what their sins are. That is not your office nor do you have the authority. If you feel the need to correct others, the first thing you need to do is correct yourself. Leave others alone whose spiritual lives are not in your hands. You are not qualified, for one, to tell other people their sins. Again, you need to talk to your priest or spiritual director about this issue. You have a skewed idea about what is and isn’t your responsibility before God. Don’t diagnose others sins for them. They have a confessor, and it isn’t you. 😉
 
Ezekiel 3:16-21
At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. "Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. "However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”

Since Jesus is God’s Son and we become His Brethren by adoption through Baptism, and since He is Priest, Prophet, and King, we share in this role. So what God says to Ezekiel in this verse, applies to us as well.
 
Should we only correct others if they’re open about being told?
You should share YOUR beliefs, without getting into telling them about their errors.

The latter will be rejected and the person will dig their heels in to defend themselves.

In other words, you won’t be helping them, but driving them further away.

Keep in mind, you don’t need to be a messiah, we already have the one and only in Jesus Christ.

Jim
 
You’re not doing something you should be doing, which is correcting your brother. Remember the two sons of Eli who stole sacrifices that belonged to God. God not only held Eli’s sons accountable but Eli himself for not correcting them.
It’s not your place to correct others, who are not open to being corrected, especially by another person whom they see as no better than themselves.

Your place is to be an example in how you live your life.

Going beyond that becomes a holier than thou attitude.

Also, our mission is to bring people to Jesus Christ first. The Church, Jesus will bring them to according to His will, not our will, which is more often than not, ego driven.

Jim
 
This is a misunderstanding about the sin of omission.

It has nothing to do with telling a person they’re committing sin, especially when that person has no interest in being told.

The sin of omission is when you avoid doing something you should do.

For instance, you should attend Mass in the morning, but don’t do so because you’re hung over from drinking the night before.

Jim
We are called to model our lives after Jesus, and He always corrected sin and error. Well at any rate it seems you don’t see this as a responsibility to others to help them along the right path to heaven.

From a post above in case you didn’t read it

Ezekiel 3:16-21
At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. "Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. "However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”

Since Jesus is God’s Son and we become His Brethren by adoption through Baptism, and since He is Priest, Prophet, and King, we share in this role. So what God says to Ezekiel in this verse, applies to us as well.

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ John 14:6

I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. John 10:9
 
It’s not your place to correct others, who are not open to being corrected, especially by another person whom they see as no better than themselves.

Your place is to be an example in how you live your life.

Going beyond that becomes a holier than thou attitude.

Also, our mission is to bring people to Jesus Christ first. The Church, Jesus will bring them to according to His will, not our will, which is more often than not, ego driven.

Jim
Read my other post.
 
We are called to model our lives after Jesus, and He always corrected sin and error. Well at any rate it seems you don’t see this as a responsibility to others to help them along the right path to heaven.

From a post above in case you didn’t read it

Ezekiel 3:16-21
At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. "Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. "However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”

Since Jesus is God’s Son and we become His Brethren by adoption through Baptism, and since He is Priest, Prophet, and King, we share in this role. So what God says to Ezekiel in this verse, applies to us as well.

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ John 14:6

I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. John 10:9
You seem to overlook the fact that Ezekiel was called by God to correct Israel. When did he call you to that ministry? I don’t ask this snarkily, but in all earnestness. We cannot take Bible passages out of context and decide what they mean in matters of faith and morals. That is the responsibility and the authority of our bishops, not you or I. Again, you need to talk to your priest about this instead of deciding you are supposed to correct the sins of all and sundry.
 
It’s not a sin of omission to be a busy-body who feels he has the right and duty to tell everyone else what their sins are. That is not your office nor do you have the authority. If you feel the need to correct others, the first thing you need to do is correct yourself. Leave others alone whose spiritual lives are not in your hands. You are not qualified, for one, to tell other people their sins. Again, you need to talk to your priest or spiritual director about this issue. You have a skewed idea about what is and isn’t your responsibility before God. Don’t diagnose others sins for them. They have a confessor, and it isn’t you. 😉
Hold on a minute Della - what I said in my post was “God calls us to correct our sisters and brothers, when they say or do something that obviously falls short of what God expects of us as His children.” So that would be in our presence. For sure we are not to do what you said which is just tell people what we think their sins are - there is a very big difference in what I said and what you may have thought I said.

As far as the quote I also agree but that doesn’t pertain here since it uses the word “wrath” - which obviously would not be part of a loving and gentle correction.
 
You seem to overlook the fact that Ezekiel was called by God to correct Israel. When did he call you to that ministry? I don’t ask this snarkily, but in all earnestness. We cannot take Bible passages out of context and decide what they mean in matters of faith and morals. That is the responsibility and the authority of our bishops, not you or I. Again, you need to talk to your priest about this instead of deciding you are supposed to correct the sins of all and sundry.
You are taking the specific example I presented in my post way out on a limb Della - I presented a specific situation and nothing like what your remark speaks of. I do not just go around pointing out what I may think a person’s sins are - I have no right to do that for sure - I am talking about someone committing a sin by a remark or action in your presence.

What would you do if you saw someone stealing?

What would you do if someone started cursing in a conversation you were a part of?
 
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