Come Back, My Brother

It is not easy to correct another, whether he be a friend, brother, sister, neighbor or stranger. Yet this is a part of love, of the Christian love we call charity.

In our sophisticated and overly politically-correct culture, we tend to cringe from correcting others, as if this would fall into some type of discrimination that would cause us legal trouble. It is as if true compassion protects another’s pride and sensibility rather than their true and lasting good. But is this real concern? What if my omission leads this other away from eternal bliss to eternal damnation?


As St. Paul reminds us, true love is always in the truth (Cf. Eph 4:15,16).

This Lent Pope Benedict has invited us to come back to this perennial Christian practice which has been “quite forgotten” for “Being concerned for each other also entails being concerned for their spiritual well-being […] fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 2012 Letter for Lent)

So with what remains of this Lent, I´d like to invite each of us to open our eyes to the lives of those around us, and with true love for their eternal salvation, with true compassion, with lots of honey and appreciation for them as persons and sons or daughters of God, help us with what we do not see and which causes us spiritual ruin. Speak up, for we are all part of this Body of Christ and we want each part of this body, our body, to enjoy eternal bliss.


By Thomas Montanaro