Fraternal Correction

fraternal correction: what it is and what it is not.

All good Christians have an obligation to Christian charity, to "love one another as Christ has loved us." The most important fact of this love is that we do whatever is beneficial to the salvation of the one who is loved. If I love someone and he is blindfolded walking towards a fire pit, am I not guilty of murder if I simply let him just walk into the fire and be burnt? If I did not correct him from his deathly path, he would have been lost, or at least quite badly injured. Christian charity therefore charges us to admonish the sinner, that is to guide one's brother in charity out of dire straights.

However, this virtue like others can be abused and become a vice. There are many folks who go around correcting everyone because they see it as their duty. These misguided but (hopefully) well intentioned individuals purport to be doing an act of charity, acting out of concern for another's spiritual well being, or "instructing the ignorant" when they are really judging, nagging, or simply picking on others. Fraternal charity is a virtue only when it is exactly that: charity. At times it is compulsory, that is we must say something or risk sinning. However, there are criteria to be met in order to make it compulsory, and if any particular criterion is not met correction is not compulsory and may even be inadavisable.

1) The delinquency to be corrected is a serious matter
That is, it must be something dealing with grievous sin or harm
2) There is no reason to believe that the sinner will adequately correct himself.
That is, if he doesn't know it is wrong and he will not figure it out for himself, then we bring it to his attention. If he realizes that it is wrong and is sorry, we don't rub their face in it and lecture them on it.
3) There is a well founded expectation that the advice/correction will be headed.
If we will be ignored there is no reason to offer correction that we know will not be headed. Furthermore, if the correction will cause scandal or increased or just make things worse for them we don't do it.
-we don't have coercive power
4) there is no one else present who can do it (i.e. the preist or someone in authority) I have to do it or it won't be done. Also, make sure that you protect the person's reputation and keep it private. Also, you must be qualified
5) there is no special trouble or disadvantage to the correction. we do not need to inconvenience ourselves greatly in order to get the correction around.

Makes sense to me, huh?