To the Ends of the Earth: Witness – Week 8, Day 1 – The World is a Dead and Desolate Land of Lost Sinners
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Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each man will have to bear his own load.
Galatians 6:1–5
One of the hardest roles a Catholic man may face is to walk beside a brother who has strayed from the narrow path. It is not easy to confront sin or to correct the sinner. Neither is it easy to be confronted or corrected when we have done wrong. Such confrontation always puts us at risk for reprimand, ridicule, and rejection. Yet we are responsible for one another, and to the Church as a whole. Part of leaving a lasting legacy of faith is rooting out sin and lifting up our brothers as together we walk the path toward perfection.
Tension within the Body of Christ is never easy to face, but it should not keep us from working to restore our relationships and draw one another closer to Christ. So how does a Catholic man confront his brother in order to turn him from his sin?
And how does accountability help us to be men who point the way to our inheritance in heaven? This week, we will consider the following ideas:
1. Truth is crucial, but gentleness is key.
While we must respond to sin from a perspective of justice, we need to do so in a way that is caring and kind. “Speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15) should be our foundational guide as we approach our brother about his sin.
2. We must bear each other’s burdens for the sake of love.
We cannot confront sin without loving the sinner. We must walk alongside our brother, bearing the burden as a member of the Body, for when one part suffers, all the members suffer as well (see 1 Cor 12:26).
3. We need to be careful that we ourselves do not fall.
Pride, arrogance, and overconfidence in our abilities can lead us into the same sins that we point out in our brothers’ lives (see 1 Cor 10:12). We must be willing to hear correction from our brothers, thank them for it, and then act on what we hear. Though we bear one another’s burdens, we are responsible for our own sins.
4. Transparency, confession, and forgiveness lead to a stronger Body.
As we share our failings honestly and pray for healing (see Jas 5:16), we receive power from the Holy Spirit to unite us and restore us as a family of faith. As we forgive, we grow stronger as a Church.
5. Compassion carries on the saving power of the cross.
We are called to show kindness and compassion to one another, forgiving as we have been forgiven in Christ (see Eph 4:32). The same power that saves us is meant to spread into the Body of Christ and beyond.
A Call to Action
When we look to God’s word, the teachings of the Church, and our own experiences of healing as we speak to the issue of sin, we can bring reconciliation and restoration to our brothers. This week, focus on two things: getting real about your own struggles with sin, and considering how you can come alongside your brothers and hold them accountable before God. Let your truth be tempered by tenderness and your wisdom shared with humility as you and your brothers walk the narrow way together. Know that you are saints saved from sin by grace. Be ready to confess your sins to those you have hurt and to make peace for the sake of the Gospel and the building up of the Body.
Make time to go to Confession, and encourage your brothers to go as well. Guard your heart and help your brothers to guard their hearts as together you walk the journey of faith. Always remember that there is no room for superiority, for without the grace of Christ we would all fail in our journeys as Catholic men. Confronting sin is more about sharing burdens than preaching repentance. It is more about self-examination and humility than pronouncing judgment on a broken soul.
How we confront sin is as important as why we confront sin. Many of us have experienced the cruel correcting tongue of a self-righteous and superior Christian who felt compelled to point out our sin with a “word from the Lord.” That kind of arrogance is a poor witness to the Gospel. It is only when we travel the road to recovery with our brothers that the Gospel can be fully shared and the legacy of our Catholic faith be upheld and carried into the future.
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
