We should remember that fraternal correction is only virtuous in so far as it is proportionate to the end, the amendment of the wrongdoer.
St. Thomas says, "bear in mind that by making him hate you, you may make him worse," and "therefore one ought to forego fraternal correction, when we fear lest we may make a man worse" (ST, II-II, Q.33, Art..6, s.c.). He goes on to say, "when it is deemed probable that the sinner will not take the warning, and will become worse, such fraternal correction should be foregone, because the means should be regulated according to the requirements of the end" (Ibid, c.o.); and, "when a man becomes worse through it, it is no longer a vital truth, nor is it a matter precept" (Ibid, ad.2); and, "whenever fraternal correction hinders the end, namely the amendment of our brother, it is no longer good, so that when such a correction is omitted, good is not omitted" (Ibid, ad.3). St. Alphonsus says, "in equal doubt, whether correction might be profitable or harmful, the authors say it must be omitted." (Moral Theology, Vol.1, Book III, Treatise III, Dubium IV).
Fr. Thomas Slater provides an overview of Fraternal Correction in "A Manual of Moral Theology", Vol.1, pp.194-197:
CHAPTER V
ON FRATERNAL CORRECTION
1. By FRATERNAL correction is meant a brotherly admonition given out of charity to a sinner to induce him to amend his ways. If such brotherly admonition is likely to do good and have its effect in procuring the amendment of the delinquent, charity requires that it should be given; for if charity obliges us to assist our neighbor when he is in temporal need, much more does it oblige us to do what we can for one who is in spiritual necessity. Our Lord, too, insisted on the fulfilment of this duty: “But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee thou shalt gain thy brother.” This obligation is of itself grave, as it belongs to the grave precept of charity, and like charity it binds all men. However, as we shall see, there are several conditions to be fulfilled in order that this precept may oblige in the concrete, and in practice private persons are rarely compelled under grave sin to exercise fraternal correction. Bishops, parish priests, and others who have the cure of souls, as well as parents, are more frequently obliged under pain of mortal sin to admonish those committed to their charge.
2. Theologians enumerate the following conditions as requisite in order that there may arise an obligation of giving fraternal correction:
* Matt. xviii. 15.
a. It must be certain that a grave sin has been committed and that the delinquent has not and will not of himself correct his fault. There is no general obligation to correct the venial sins of another according to a very probable opinion; in religious communities, or in other circuмstances where uncorrected venial sin might lead to serious relaxation of discipline or other harm, superiors are sometimes bound under grave sin to correct venial faults, or even faults against the rule which are not necessarily sinful. The grave sin must be certain without the necessity of making inquiries, which would be unwarrantable in a private person.
b. If there is some one else who can and will give the necessary admonition, the obligation will not rest upon me.
c. There must be a reasonable expectation that the admonition will do good; there is no obligation to do what is useless. Neither should it be given if it is doubtful whether it will do good or harm.
d. As charity does not bind with relatively serious inconvenience to one's self, there will be no obligation to correct another if this cannot be done without serious inconvenience. This rule applies to such as are bound only out of charity to correct others fraternally; Bishops and priests are bound to do so also in justice, which obliges more strictly than does charity.
3. Our Lord not only inculcated the duty of fraternal correction but he taught that in the first instance it was to be done in private, then in the presence of witnesses, and finally the delinquent was to be denounced to the public authorities in order that public morality might be safeguarded and the sinner more effectually corrected. This * Matt. xviii. 15. order should, of course, be followed per se, for charity and justice demand that our neighbor's secret fault should not be made known to others except in special cases and for good cause. However, cases are not infrequent in which it is lawful to denounce a delinquent immediately to the superior without first attempting to correct him fraternally. Such cases are the following: a. If the sin be public the sinner's reputation is not injured unjustly by at once informing the superior, which accordingly may be done. b. If the paternal admonition of the superior will in all likelihood be more sure and efficacious than the fraternal correction of a private person, the superior may be immediately informed as a father, whose duty it is to correct his children for their good, not as a judge, whose duty it is to safeguard public interests by punishing crimes. c. If harm threatens the community from the action of the delinquent, and it can only be effectually prevented by the intervention of the superior's authority. d. If the delinquent be one of a religious community whose members have voluntarily renounced their rights in this matter, and agreed that any one who becomes aware of their faults may straightway inform the superior, such a one suffers no injury if the rule be acted on. However, even in this case there must be good reason for making the fault known to the superior, such as the sinner's correction, the good name of the community, the preservation of discipline. If the sin was committed in the past, and there is now no good reason for making it known to the superior, it would be sinful to make it known to him. Religious have a right to their reputation. Sometimes members of communities, and boys or girls at school, who know that serious harm to morals is being done by a black sheep among the flock, are bound under penalty of grave sin to give information to superiors so that the suitable remedy may be applied. Such cases require careful treatment from the confessor, who is bound to instruct his penitents concerning their obligations, and to refuse them absolution if they are not prepared to fulfil those obligations which bind them under penalty of grave sin. On the other hand the seal of confession must be safeguarded at any cost.
4. It is the better opinion that private persons are not regularly obliged to admonish another for committing a material sin through ignorance or inadvertence. Sometimes, however, harm would follow even if material sin were to go uncorrected and, inasmuch as charity requires that we should prevent harm when we can, in these cases admonition should be given. Those also who are placed in authority and have the duty of instructing their subjects, preventing scandal, and maintaining discipline, are bound to correct even the material sins of those under their charge.
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Topic: Correcting a Sinner is an act of charity (Read 1332 times)