Fraternal Correction 主内规劝
What should we do when someone sins against us in the Church? Today's Scriptures remind us that fraternal correction involves both responsibility and limits. We can speak a helpful truth with charity, but we cannot control how another person responds. We invite you to read Fr. Joseph Ruan's latest bilingual Scripture reflection, included below in Chinese and then in English:
Scripture Reflection in Chinese
常年期第二十三主日（甲年）
今天是常年期第二十三主日。今日圣言的主题，是基督徒在教会团体中彼此承担责任，以真理中的爱规劝弟兄，修复受损的关系，共同走向与天主及近人的共融。爱不仅给予安慰，也关怀对方灵魂的益处；团体的共融需要每一位成员以谦逊和勇气加以维护。
今天的福音首先提出一个十分现实的问题：当“你的弟兄得罪了你”时，应当怎样处理？耶稣给出的第一步是：“趁你和他单独在一起的时候，规劝他”（玛18:15）。私下交谈能够保护对方的尊严，也能防止消息以讹传讹，避免一个原本可以解决的问题演变成公开的冲突。
耶稣随即说明这场谈话的目标：“如果他听从了你，你便赚得了你的弟兄”（玛18:15）。“赚得”一词说明，规劝的目的在于挽回一个人，修复一段关系，帮助一位弟兄恢复与基督的关系。胜负、面子和情绪都应当服从这个更高的目标。我们开口以前，需要先问自己：我希望证明自己正确，还是希望弟兄得到益处？我准备发泄心中的不满，还是帮助他认识真理、回归正道？
因此，弟兄规劝宜从祈祷开始，以事实为依据，用清楚而温和的言语表达，同时给对方充分解释的机会。推心置腹需要勇气，洗耳恭听同样需要勇气。诚恳的交谈也许会使双方发现，事情比原先想象的更为复杂，彼此都需要调整和悔改。真正的弟兄规劝是一场共同走向真理的交谈。
当私人交谈未能解决问题时，耶稣让一两个人参与，“好使任何事端，凭两三个见证人的口，得以成立”（玛18:16；参申19:15）。这些人承担见证和辨明的服务，帮助双方澄清事实、节制情绪、避免一面之词。“兼听则明”在这里具有属灵价值。他们前来促进修和，使当事人能够从更完整的角度审视自己的行为。
若问题依然存在，团体便需要承担责任：“就要告诉教会”（玛18:17）。教会是基督的身体，一个成员的行为会影响整个身体。严重的罪可能损害团体的信仰、见证与安全。因此，教会的介入应当服务于真理、公义、悔改和医治。牧者与团体需要按照福音作出审慎的辨别，使受伤者得到保护，使犯错者获得悔改的机会，也使教会的共融免受进一步的伤害。
耶稣所提出的程序，需要在智德的指引下加以运用。涉及暴力、虐待、犯罪或现实危险时，保护受害者，并及时寻求教会负责人及有关专业机构的协助，应当成为首要责任。福音所强调的私下交谈旨在维护人的尊严；面对危险时，爱德也要求我们采取能够保护生命、维护正义的行动。
“如果他连教会也不听，你就把他看作外教人或税务员吧”（玛18:17），这是一句容易引起疑问的话。耶稣在此承认，教会的共融具有真实的界限。一个人若持续拒绝真理，便会使自己与团体之间产生裂痕。教会需要如实承认这种处境，有时也需要采取相称的纪律措施，清楚表明罪的严重性。
与此同时，耶稣自己曾主动接近税务员，也曾从税关上召叫玛窦成为宗徒（玛9:9-13）。因此，把一个人视作外教人或税务员，也意味着教会与他的关系进入了新的阶段。他成为教会继续为之祈祷、向其宣讲福音并邀请其悔改的对象。教会以清楚的界限保护共融，也以慈悲为迷途者保留回归的道路。
接着，耶稣说：“你们在地上所束缚的，在天上也要被束缚；你们在地上所释放的，在天上也要被释放”（玛18:18）。这句话指向基督赐给教会的辨别与治理权柄，也与教会施行修和的使命相连。这项权柄来自基督，需要按照他的真理、慈悲和救恩旨意来行使。个人情绪无法代表天上的判断；教会则在祈祷、圣言、圣传和牧职责任中寻求基督的心意。
耶稣随后谈到同心祈祷和他的临在：“无论在哪里有两三个人，因我的名字聚在一起，我就在他们中间”（玛18:20）。这句话固然能够安慰人数很少的祈祷团体；按照今天福音的内容，它也告诉我们：当团体面对罪、冲突和艰难的辨别时，复活的主亲临其中。“同心合意”意味着众人共同归向基督，让天主的旨意净化各人的动机和立场。教会的合一并不要求所有人的意见完全相同；它体现于众人共同聆听临在于团体中的基督。
读经一帮助我们进一步理解这种彼此负责的使命。上主立厄则克耳为以色列的警卫，吩咐他把所听见的话传给百姓（则33:7）。古代城墙上的警卫无法替城中的居民作出决定；他的职责是保持清醒，及时发出警报。同样，先知不能强迫恶人回头，却要忠实地传达天主的召叫。先知为自己的忠信负责，听者为自己的选择负责。
厄则克耳的使命帮助我们明白：规劝别人有一定的责任，也有一定的界限。看见一个人走在明显错误的方向上却袖手旁观，容易沦为明哲保身；试图控制别人，又会忽略天主赐给人的自由。圣经所启示的责任位于两者之间：我们以爱德说出有益的真话，悔改则是人在恩宠推动下作出的自由回应。弟兄是否立即接受规劝，并不完全掌握在我们手中；我们所能奉献给天主的，是祈祷、忠信、耐心和真诚。
厄则克耳作为警卫，首先需要聆听上主：“你听了我所说的话，要代我警告他们”（则33:7）。这也与答唱咏相呼应：“你们今天要听从他的声音，不要心硬”（咏95:8）。规劝别人的人，首先应当让天主的话审视自己。经过祈祷和省察，我们才能怀着同为罪人的谦逊去帮助对方。一个愿意接受天主规劝的人，才更懂得怎样温和地规劝弟兄。
读经二则告诉我们弟兄规劝的内在原则。圣保禄说：“你们除了彼此相爱以外，对人就没有任何亏欠”（罗13:8）。爱成全法律，因为爱使每条诫命都指向其真正目的：保护人的尊严，维护人与天主及近人的正确关系。纵容伤害会使罪继续扩散，粗暴揭露又会增加新的创伤。成熟的爱关心真理，也珍惜人的名誉与悔改的机会。
正如福音前欢呼词所说：“主，你的话就是真理，求你以真理圣化我们”（若17:17）。这正是弟兄规劝的灵魂。真理使爱保持清醒，爱使真理成为医治。当别人诚恳地提醒我们时，我们也应以温良的心分辨其中是否含有来自天主的召叫，避免讳疾忌医，也珍惜忠言逆耳所带来的成长机会。这样，便能使教会成为修和的家：受伤者获得照料，迷途者听见召唤，弟兄在基督内重新彼此相认。
Scripture Reflection in English
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A
Today we celebrate the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Word of God speaks about our responsibility for one another in the Church. Christian love gives comfort, and it also cares about the spiritual good of another person. Sometimes love asks us to speak honestly, to repair a wounded relationship, and to help a brother or sister return to the right path.
Today’s Gospel begins with a very practical question: What should we do when someone sins against us? Jesus says, “Go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Mt 18:15). The first step is a private conversation. Speaking directly to the person protects his dignity, prevents gossip, and keeps a problem from becoming a public conflict. Jesus then explains the purpose of the conversation: “If he listens to you, you have won over your brother” (Mt 18:15). The goal is to win back a brother, restore a relationship, and help someone renew his relationship with Christ. Before we speak, we should ask ourselves: Am I trying to prove that I am right? Am I speaking out of anger? Do I sincerely desire what is good for this person?
Fraternal correction should begin with prayer. We ask God to purify our intentions and give us the right words. We speak about the facts in a clear and gentle way, and we give the other person an opportunity to explain. An honest conversation may show that the situation is more complicated than we first thought. Both people may need to reflect, forgive, or change. Speaking honestly takes courage, and listening patiently also takes courage. Fraternal correction becomes a shared journey toward truth.
Sometimes a private conversation does not resolve the matter. Jesus then says to bring one or two others, so that “every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Mt 18:16; cf. Dt 19:15). These people are there to help clarify what happened, calm strong emotions, and help both sides listen more carefully. If the person still refuses to listen, Jesus says, “Tell the church” (Mt 18:17). Serious sin can affect the whole community because the Church is the Body of Christ. The Church then has a responsibility to protect those who have been hurt, call the offender to conversion, and safeguard the community. When violence, abuse, criminal conduct, or immediate danger is involved, protecting the victim and seeking help from the proper Church and civil authorities should come first.
Jesus then gives us a difficult instruction: “If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector” (Mt 18:17). These words remind us that communion has real boundaries. A person who continues to reject the truth may separate himself from the community. The Church may need to recognize that separation and take appropriate action. At the same time, we remember how Jesus treated tax collectors. He spoke with them, ate with them, and called Matthew to become an apostle (Mt 9:9-13). The person who has gone astray remains someone for whom the Church prays. The invitation to repent and return remains open. The Church protects her communion through clear boundaries and continues to seek the salvation of the person.
Jesus also says, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 18:18). These words refer to the authority Christ has entrusted to the Church—the responsibility to teach, guide, reconcile, and sometimes apply discipline. This authority comes from Christ and must be exercised according to his truth, mercy, and saving purpose. Personal anger cannot speak for heaven. The Church seeks the will of Christ through prayer, Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and careful pastoral judgment.
Jesus then makes a beautiful promise: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). This promise brings comfort to every small community gathered for prayer. In today’s Gospel, it also tells us that Christ is present when his people face conflict and seek reconciliation. He is present when the Church must make a difficult decision. He is present when two people sit down and try to speak honestly with each other. To gather in Christ’s name means allowing him to guide the conversation and purify our pride, anger, and personal opinions. The unity of the Church does not require everyone to have exactly the same opinion. It grows when people listen together to Christ and seek his will.
The first reading helps us understand our responsibility more clearly. God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for the house of Israel (Ez 33:7-9). In ancient times, a watchman stood on the city wall and sounded a warning when danger approached. He could warn the people, but he could not make their decisions for them. In the same way, Ezekiel had to communicate God’s word faithfully, while the people were responsible for their response.
Ezekiel’s mission teaches us that correcting another person involves both responsibility and limits. When we see someone moving in a clearly harmful direction, silence may become a way of protecting our own comfort. An attempt to control the person, however, can ignore the freedom God has given him. Our responsibility is to speak a helpful truth with charity. Conversion remains a free response to God’s grace. We cannot control how quickly another person responds. What we can offer to God is our prayer, fidelity, patience, and sincerity.
Before Ezekiel could speak, he first had to listen to God: “When you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me” (Ez 33:7). The responsorial psalm gives us the same message: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Ps 95:8). Before correcting another person, we must allow God’s Word to examine our own hearts. We remember that we also need mercy. A person who listens humbly to God will be better prepared to speak gently to a brother or sister.
Saint Paul gives us the guiding principle in the second reading: “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another” (Rom 13:8). Love fulfills God’s law because it seeks the true good of our neighbor: “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10). Permissiveness may allow harm to continue, while harsh words may create another wound. Mature love cares about truth and also respects the other person’s dignity, reputation, and opportunity for repentance.
The Gospel acclamation brings all the readings together: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:19). This is the heart of today’s message. Christ has entrusted his work of reconciliation to people who have themselves received mercy. When another person offers us a sincere correction, we also need a gentle and receptive heart. A difficult word spoken with love may be one of the ways God calls us to grow. May Christ make the Church a home of reconciliation, where those who are wounded receive care, those who have wandered hear the call to return, and brothers and sisters find their unity again in him.
Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church.
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