The Gospel passage of today offers us three concepts to ponder: scandal and fraternal correction. These two are connected in their essence by a third theme, which is faith.
Correction
It is an inevitable fact that, at one time or another, someone will scandalize us with their behavior: the heart of man is a great mystery of beauty but also of baseness, and many times we find ourselves suffering because of someone who misuses their freedom in life, grossly scandalizing and offending us. How should we behave if a brother scandalizes us?
Jesus gives us two fundamental remedies: forgiveness and fraternal correction, done with love. In correcting a scandalous brother/sister, we have to be prudent enough and careful not to, in turn, scandalize the person in the way of correction. In fact, it is not easy to correct with love, but it is still important to do so because those who do not correct their brother or are not corrected become lost.
To do this requires great open-mindedness; correction should start from trying to understand the reason behind an action, and what that negative action or negative words intended to express. This requires being able to listen while setting aside any prejudice. Is that easy? It is not, I bet you. Therefore, if appropriate, correct the action, always trying to leave a corrected person with a hug or a gesture of affection.
Accepting Correction
A true Christian, for his part, is one who knows how to accept correction. The Christian sees correction and clarifying things with their brother as an opportunity to become holy, not a sign of failure in communion. It is beautiful to see Christians who correct and forgive each other; they know how to fight against the antipathy they harbor towards each other that keeps them in resentment. To forgive, one must have a magnanimous heart, that is, a big heart, sometimes so big that it can contain even a great and painful wrong. The saints, when corrected, even unjustly, welcomed the other with gentleness, explaining their intention, not because they were foolish or haughty, but precisely because they were saints and saw beyond, they were not closed in dullness and arrogance.
Humility in Forgiveness
The truly open-minded person is the humble one, who knows how to forgive, sees things with the eyes of God, knows how to clarify, knows how to ask for and give forgiveness; knows how to free themselves from resentments to be happy. The proud, on the other hand, precisely because they have a false projection of themselves and an inability to accept personal limits, cannot welcome the littleness or mistakes of others; they think that for the offence received the other is certainly condemned to suffer the consequences of the wrong done. Without the virtue of humility, it is difficult to forgive others.
Faith
Jesus teaches us that forgiveness should be limitless and uncountable. How can I continue to forgive a brother who hurts me continuously? Is it wise to live like that? Humanly speaking, it seems illogical. But that is the request of the Master from His followers. Faced with Jesus’ requests, the apostles become apprehensive and fear that they won’t be able to do it, and so they respond: “Lord, increase our faith!” Today, just like the apostles, I will repeat many times: “Lord, increase my faith!” because without faith, it is impossible to please God. (Heb. 11:16)
This article is both challenging and inspiring, addressing wrongdoing while maintaining compassion. I appreciate how thoughtfully you balanced these aspects, offering guidance on navigating such complex situations with wisdom and kindness