August 13: Correcting Another / Corrigiendo a Otro

In the Book of Proverbs (3, 12), we read: “The Lord corrects the one He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

One of the most difficult parts of the Christian life is what we call “fraternal correction.” How do we correct others and how is it that we want to be corrected?

It is possible that we all have painful memories of being corrected, especially when the correction was an expression of superiority or control or anger or impatience or a critical spirit, or, indeed, anything but love. Psychologists are quick to tell us that when there is “ego” in correction, it is more likely to harm us in the end, even if it improves our behavior in the short term. The “ego,” after all, doesn’t know how to love, and therefore it doesn’t know how to correct.

Happily, many of us also have memories of being corrected with love: when someone, out of genuine goodness and concern, took us aside and put a respectful and loving word in our ear. A practical bit of advice then follows: if we don’t love people, we should be all the more careful in trying to correct them … and maybe just leave it to someone who can do it properly – that is, with heartfelt concern.

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Cuando hablamos de “juzgar o nos juzgar” a nuestro prójimo (Proverbios 3, 12), debemos admitir primero que no conocemos el interior de la persona, ni sus motivaciones más profundas. Ese es un campo en el que hay que ser muy prudente.

Por eso, hay que ser muy cauteloso a la hora de juzgar or criticar a los demás. Porque no llegamos nunca a conocer bien el interior de su conciencia ni de sus razones. Y ese es el campo donde hay que aplicar la misericordia, la misma misericordia que Dios tiene con nosotros y nuestras muchas limitaciones. Eso no significa que no haya que corregir, pero siempre desde la comprensión y la misericordia ... nunca desde el juicio fustigador, duro, o crítico.