Pope Francis and Admonishing the Sinner. More on ‘Who Died and Made You Pope?”

Last updated on: July 7, 2014 at 9:27 pm by Matthew Tyson

Pope Francis and Admonishing the Sinner. More on ‘Who Died and Made You Pope?” 2014-07-07T21:27:36-05:00 Matthew Tyson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece dealing with the current trend of Catholic laity calling for certain politicians and public figures to be denied the Eucharist.

I took a stance against this action, citing that by doing so we encroach on the territory of Church authority. I received a great deal of supportive messages after publishing that blog. And I also heard from a few dissenters who felt it should be our Christian duty to deny the Eucharist to certain politicians.

They were quick to say that this would be “admonishing the sinner” which is something that Christ himself instructed us to do.

Let’s take a look at that Scripture:

If your brother sins, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. (Mt 18:15)

Calling someone out on the Internet does not fit that bill, does it?

While we may not realize it, there is a fine line between admonishment and judgment. Our actions have a way of showing which side of that line we are on.

So what should we do instead? What should we do when we TRULY care about the soul and well being of another person? What should we do when we TRULY want to help them?

If our hearts are truly burdened for our brothers and sisters, instead of chastising them publically, we could do something much more powerful We could appeal to God on their behalf.

We could pray.

Recently, in one of his most beautiful homilies, our Holy Father called for the faithful to imitate Christ as “intercessor, advocate, and lawyer.”

“Jesus, before the Father, never accuses! It’s the opposite: he defends! He’s the first Paraclete. Then, he sends the second, who is the (Holy) Spirit. He is the defender: he comes before the Father to defend us against the charges.”… more than accusers, we have to be defenders of others before the Father. I see a bad thing in someone – do I go defend him? No! But keep quiet! Go pray and defend him before the Father as Jesus does. Pray for him, but do not judge! Because if you do, when you do something bad, you will be judged.”

Let’s remember these words and take them to heart.

Catholic Lifestyle

Previous Post

June 29, 2014

Know Mary, Know Jesus. No Mary, No Jesus.

Next Post

July 15, 2014 We Don't Call Her "The Virgin Mary" For Nothing.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Catholic Lifestyle Church Teaching Mary Reflections Social Justice The Sacraments Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2017 September 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the name of the disciple who replaced Judas Iscariot?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Matthias Silas Timothy Barnabas