I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
“It is, besides, the special duty of the bishop to remove his flock from a wicked life by means of correction; He is obliged to do so even if it cost his life: The good shepherd giveth His life for His sheep. Otherwise he will have to render an account to Jesus Christ of all the evils that will happen, and that he could have prevented by correction.
This is the great burden which makes holy bishops tremble. Monsignor Sanfelice, of happy memory, said to me one day in a trembling voice: “Don Alphonso, how can I sleep quietly when I know that one of my flock is living in disgrace with God?” St. Gregory condemns the bishops who corrects no one as guilty of the same crime that the malefactor commits.
But in order that the correction may be suitable the following rules should be observed:
1. The correction should be administered in charity; and if in extreme cases severity becomes necessary, we should always mix wine with oil, that is, severity with kindness; hence it is expedient not to administer correction when one is excited; for then one easily falls into excess.
2. We should correct others with prudence: the same remedy that is good for one may not be good for another, especially when the culprit is blinded by passion, which does not permit him to acknowledge his fault nor profit by the correction.
3. It is true that in order to administer a useful correction we should wait for the opportune moment; but when the moment has come, we should correct the guilty one with promptness, without delay. We should remedy the evil as soon as we can; for the fire is easily extinguished when it is only a spark, but not when it has become a flame.
4. We must administer correction in secret, especially when the fault is hidden. He that has lost his reputation easily gives himself up entirely to vice.”
Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) in The Complete Works of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, translated from the Italian, edited by Rev. Eugene Grimm (New York: Benzinger, 1890) 469-470.
Imagine what churches would look like today if overseers gave correction at the cost of their lives. The church would be pure and without blemish. So how do we get there?
We don’t normally think of “correction” as the object of our giving. Perhaps because we don’t do it right! Alphonsus offers the formula. Do it with charity, prudence, promptness, and in secret. What if you did this?
We need to stop serving people and hoping they will like us and start serving them hoping they will fear God and keep His commandments and standards which point the way to life.
They also position individual stewards as well as institutions like churches and ministries for flourishing. That’s something worth giving our lives for!
I am starting my long journey home soon. Thanks for your prayers for safe travel from Islamabad to Istanbul to Denver.