Word of the Week

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reprove: Elegcho (Gk.): meaning, “to find fault with, correct”: In word, by admonishment and reproval; in deed, by chastening and punishment. Underlining this word is a renewed conviction by exposal; bringing to light one’s failures.

The CCC addresses the question of reproof and sees it fundamental to conversion and ultimately the exercise of charity. The CCC states: “Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation , concern for the poor , the exercise and defense of justice and right , by the admission of faults to one's brethren , fraternal correction , revision of life , examination of conscience , spiritual direction , acceptance of suffering , endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness . Taking up one's cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance ” (1435; cf. 1829). For this reason, a catechesis on conversion and “the new man” ought to have at its core “a catechesis of sin and forgiveness, for unless man acknowledges that he is a sinner he cannot know the truth about himself, which is a condition for acting justly; and without the offer of forgiveness he would not be able to bear this truth” (1697). This starts with the parents in the tender care of educating children in the virtues of mercy and justice (cf. 2223).

The Greek elegcho can be found seventeen times in the New Testament. As noted above in the etymology of the word and its subsequent catechetical treatment, to reprove is to bring man’s walk in darkness and pagan lifestyle into the light of Christ (cf. Jn.3:20; Eph.5:11-13). However, if we show partiality towards sin we break the laws of the Kingdom of God and consequently will be judged by God (Jas.2:8-13). Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit that will convince the world of its sin and reveal that Christ was a man of righteousness (cf. Jn.16:8). That being said, this Greek term also speaks to a sibling reproval in both Christian living and doctrine. We are called to privately confront our brothers and sisters in Christ, and with humility and reverence, ‘fraternally correct’ their misconduct, and in so doing, call them to righteousness (cf. Mt.18:15; 1 Tim.5:2). In fact, Paul exhorts Timothy to do this “in season and out of season” (2 Tim.4:2). In addition to this ‘revision of life’ by reprimand, this rebuke of wrongdoing extends itself into the area of doctrine. Paul, on three separate occasions, encourages Titus to be formed in the faith that he has the wherewithal to refute anyone who contradicts truth and the doctrine of the Christian Church (cf. Tit.1:9-13, 2:15). On that point, we must never lose sight that Christ entrusts his authority of reproof to the authority of the Church (cf. Mt.15-20).Ultimately, this Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time calls us to a spiritual maturity that opens us up to a chastisement that is necessary for a stronger growth in Christ as a child of God. We must always remember the words of Christ: “Those whom I love I rebuke” (Rev.3:19), and “those whom I rebuke I call my children” (Heb.5:11-14).

In our contemporary age, there is a growing tendency to shy away from “calling each other out” from any sinful behavior. We justify this by saying “we shouldn’t judge”. Yet, this is one of the great misunderstandings of Christianity. In actuality, Christ never states: “do not judge” from the vantage point of being decisive on objective matters. On the contrary, he points out the need to be critical for the sake of advancing the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. below). On this note, what I am not saying is that we are called to condemn (cf. Jn.8:9) or to judge what motivates a person to do what he or she does. Point in fact, we are not called to judge the heart, that which is subjective and hidden, but only the moral error that is objectively apposed to the nature of truth. We call out the sin not the sinner. In my discussions with people around Christian circles there is a tendency to refute the call to reprove in the idea that it makes us less of a Christian. Typically, this refutation gravitates towards the gospel passage that has Christ saying “judge not” (Mt.7:1). Let us consider this passage.

Let us read the passage in its entirety to get at what Christ is actually saying: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye” (Mt.7:1-5). If we were to remove the entire context of the passage and focus in on just “judge not!” then yes, we would surely be left with no right to judge, but a careful examination of the text proves otherwise. In fact, what Christ calls for is a two-sided judgment. We must first ‘remove the log from our own eye’, and THEN we will discern the plank in our brother’s eye (cf. 1 thes.5:21) (Hahn and Minch, 26). Interestingly, it takes an objective moral truth to first ‘take the log from our own eye’. We can rightfully say that constructive criticism is a Christian responsibility that starts with self. Christ exhorts us to correct the fault of our brother, but emphasizes that this can only be done if we ourselves are right with God. If we fail to see our own privation of spiritual wealth, THEN we will never see our brothers. It demands an interior attitude of faith. Essentially, Christ is after a self-evangelization of our heart that we see the need to evangelize Christ to others, an ecumenism that does in fact extend into the area of correcting fault. This is in continuity with the gospel message that calls us to deny self, pick up our cross, and follow Christ(cf. Mt. 16:24-35; Mk.8:34-35; Lk.9:23-24) through “the gate that is narrow and hard, that leads to eternal life…” (Mt.7:14).

What we must realize in our Christian faith is, in the absence of ‘fraternal correction’, we more easily succumb to the ways of the world and its binding secularism. In other words, where there is no Christian reproof there is no Christianity. We are called to take ownership of the faith, and upon finding Christ in our hearts ‘in season and out of season’, discover the grace necessary to see all that we are called to see. We must never forget, it is only by the authority of Christ and a life in the Spirit that we receive any understanding into a right from wrong and how our sibling in Christ may have offended our Lord. In the end, personal change comes before communal change, and if we are ever to get right Christ’s command to “judge with righteous judgment” (Jn.7:24) then we must see the ‘log in our own eye’ first (Mt. 7:3; Lk.6:41). By virtue of a life in Christ do we live in the light of Christ who is “the way and the truth and the life” (Jn.14:6), and as such, give witness to the truth of Christ who judges right from wrong.

 “Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.”

--St. Ignatius of Loyola

Primary Texts Consulted

•  Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
•  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000.

The Catholic Hour Home Page
Comments or Questions?
Contact Webmaster