sjfh batch 2023-2024

 

on fraternal correction (opus dei article)

 Re: Fraternal Correction

By: Juan Alonso (2010 June). Fraternal correction: A help along the path to holiness.

Fr: https://opusdei.org/en/article/fraternal-correction-a-help-along-the-path-to-holiness

 

Fraternal correction is a sincere and affectionate suggestion that a Christian gives to his or her neighbor to help them along the path to holiness. It is a means of spiritual progress by which a person can grow in self-knowledge, becoming aware of defects that might be hidden or disguised by self-love. It is often a necessary precondition to enable us to tackle those defects with God’s help, and so improve our Christian living.

 

1. A deep-rooted Christian tradition

The heart of fraternal correction is deep in the Gospel. Jesus tells us to practice it in the context of unlimited forgiveness and service to the most vulnerable. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. Jesus himself corrects his disciples on several occasions, as the Gospels show us: he reproves them when they are jealous of someone else casting out demons in His name; he rebukes Peter firmly because his way of thinking is not God’s but men’s; he redirects James and John’s misguided ambition, affectionately correcting their mistaken understanding of the kingdom he announces, while acknowledging their courageous readiness to “drink of His cup”.

Starting from Jesus’ teaching and example, fraternal correction has become a sort of Christian family tradition that has been practiced in the Church from the earliest times. It is a duty not only of justice but of love. Among the recommendations given by St Paul to the Christians at Corinth is to exhort one another (exhortamini invicem). Plenty of passages in the New Testament witness to the watchfulness of the shepherds of the Church to correct the errors that were worming their way into some of the first Christian communities. St Ambrose testified to the practice of fraternal correction when he wrote, in the fourth century, “If you discover some defect in a friend, correct him privately (...) For corrections do more good and are more profitable than friendship that keeps silent. If the friend is offended, correct him just the same, firmly and without fear, even though the correction tastes bitter to him. It is written in the Book of Proverbs that wounds from a true friend are preferable to kisses from flatterers (Prov 27:6).” And St Augustine also warns against the grave fault entailed in omitting to offer this help to one’s neighbour: “You do worse by keeping silent than he does by sinning.”

 

2. A Christian necessity

The natural basis for fraternal correction is the need everyone has to be helped by others to attain their goal, because no-one can see themselves objectively, nor is it easy to recognize one’s own faults. Hence this practice has also been recommended by classical authors as a way of helping friends. In turn, allowing oneself to be corrected by others is a sign of maturity and a condition for spiritual progress: “the good man rejoices to be corrected; every wicked man reacts violently against guidance” (admoneri bonus gaudet; pessimus quisque correctorem asperrime patitur).

 

Christians need their brothers and sisters in the faith to do them the favour of fraternal correction. Together with other essential helps – prayer, mortification, good example – the practice of fraternal correction (which was recommended in Jewish Wisdom literature) is a fundamental means for reaching holiness, and contributes to the spreading of the Kingdom of God in the world. He who heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof goes astray.

 

3. Correcting out of love for our neighbour

Christian fraternal correction is born of charity, the theological virtue by which we love God above all things and our neighbour as ourselves for love of God. Since charity is the “bond of perfection” and the form of all the virtues, the exercise of fraternal correction is a source of personal sanctification for the person who gives it and the person who receives it. It offers the giver a chance to practice our Lord’s command, this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. It offers the receiver the lights they need to renew their following of Christ in the specific point that has been corrected.

To practise fraternal correction – which is so deeply rooted in the Gospel – is a proof of supernatural trust and affection. Be thankful for it when you receive it, and don’t neglect to practice it with those around you. Fraternal correction is not the outcome of irritation at another’s faults, or of offended pride or wounded vanity. Love is the only possible motive for fraternally correcting our neighbour. As St Augustine teaches, “we must correct out of love, not out of a desire to hurt, but with the loving intention of helping the person’s amendment. If we act like that, we will be fulfilling the commandment very well – if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. Why do you correct him? Because you are upset that he has offended you? God forbid. If you do it out of self-love, your action is worthless. If it is love that moves you, you are acting excellently.”

 

4. A duty of justice

Christians have the duty to correct their neighbour fraternally as a grave requirement of the virtue of charity. In the Old Testament we find examples where the Lord God reminds the prophets of this duty, as in the case of Ezekiel. So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. The same idea appears in the New Testament. The Apostle James says, My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. And St Paul considers fraternal correction as the best way to bring back someone who has strayed from the path: If anyone refuses to obey what we say in this letter (...) do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. We cannot be passive or indifferent towards our neighbour’s faults. Still less can we indulge in complaining or angry accusation. “Friendly correction is more beneficial than violent accusation. The first inspires compunction, but the second only arouses indignation.”

All Christians are in need of this help, but we have a special duty to practice fraternal correction to those who are in positions of authority, spiritual guidance, formation of others, etc. in the Church, institutions that form part of the Church, families and Christian communities. People who are in charge of others need that help more urgently because they have more responsibility, because no-one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. In the same way, those who work in governance or formation have a special responsibility to practice it. On this subject, St Josemaría teaches, There is a great love of comfort, and at times a great irresponsibility, hidden behind the attitude of those in authority who flee from the sorrow of correcting, making the excuse that they want to avoid the suffering of others.

They may perhaps save themselves some discomfort in this life. But they are gambling with eternal happiness – the eternal happiness of others as well as their own – by these omissions of theirs. These omissions are real sins.

 

5. Dispositions necessary for giving and receiving fraternal correction

Fraternal correction is one of the most authentic manifestations of the “communion of saints” among those of us who still live as pilgrims in this world, while being united to the dead and risen Christ. All Christians, in Christ, form one single family, the Church, for the praise and glory of the Blessed Trinity. Christians are stimulated to maintain the practice of fraternal correction by the realization of their responsibility for one another’s holiness, i.e. their duty to cooperate so that every baptized person perseveres in the place where they have been called by God to become holy. This awareness becomes progressively keener if we develop the habit of concern for our neighbour – the healthy psychological prejudice of thinking habitually about others.

Another equally necessary attitude is to be prepared to overcome the difficulties that may arise. These are:

(1) an excessively human and not very supernatural approach that leads us to think that it is not worthwhile making the correction;

(2) the fear of upsetting the person whom we correct;

(3) the idea that our own unworthiness prevents us from correcting the other person, whom we see as better qualified or better disposed;

(4) the idea that it is not appropriate to correct someone else when we ourselves have the same defect, to an even greater degree; and

(5) the thought that there is no possibility of any improvement in the person concerned, or that they had already been corrected for that same fault with no apparent results. The ultimate source of these objections is usually human respects, fear of being badly thought of, or indolence. They are easily dealt with if we keep a vivid awareness of the communion of saints, and hence of the loyalty we owe to the Church, her pastors and institutions, and all our brothers and sisters in the faith.

To receive fraternal corrections fruitfully, we need to have a keen desire for holiness. This will enable us to see the admonishment we have received as a divine grace aimed at improving our faithfulness to God and service to others. The exercise of humility will help us to receive correction gratefully, and will enable us to hear God’s voice and not harden our hearts.

6. How to give fraternal correction and how to receive it

… St Augustine recommends this examination of conscience because we often find it easy to notice in other people the very defects we suffer from ourselves. “When we have to reprimand others, let us first think whether we have committed that fault; and if we have not committed it, let us consider the fact that we are human beings and we could have committed it. Or whether we have been guilty of it in the past, even though not at present. And then let us be mindful of our shared weakness, so that mercy, and not animosity, precedes the correction we give.”

Considerateness and affection are the distinguishing marks of Christian charity and also, therefore, of the practice of fraternal correction. To ensure that this admonition is the expression of genuine charity, it is important to ask ourselves before giving it: “How would Jesus act towards this person in this situation?” Then it will be easier to see that Jesus would correct not only promptly and frankly, but also kindly, with understanding and respect. Hence St Josemaría teaches: When you have to make a fraternal correction, do it with great kindness – great charity! – in what you say and in the way you say it, for at that moment you are God’s instrument. A specific note of kindness is to give the admonishment in private with the person concerned, and to avoid anything in the way of comments or jokes that might detract from the supernatural tone of the correction.

When we give fraternal corrections we should avoid a possible tendency to be overly impersonal, taking refuge in anonymity. This inclination disappears when, with God’s grace, we make a specific act of loyalty and think about the communion of saints. Loyalty will lead us to correct the other person face to face, without pretense and without humiliating them, but frankly, since what we are seeking is their good and the holiness of the Church. The firmness that is a necessary part of fraternal correction does not conflict with gentleness and considerateness; the person giving the correction should be like an iron fist in a velvet glove.

The virtue of prudence has an important role to play as guide, rule and measure of how to make (and receive) fraternal correction. “Prudence disposes reason to discern in every circumstance our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it.” A rule of prudence that is borne out by experience is to ask a competent person (spiritual director, priest, superior) for advice on whether the envisaged correction is opportune. This consultation is in no way an accusation or denunciation, but is a wise exercise of the virtue of prudence, seeking to ensure that the same person is not corrected for the same fault by several different people, and it helps those giving the correction to mature their judgment and form their own consciences – in short, to become souls of worth. Prudence will also lead us not to correct someone frequently about the same topic, because we should rely on God’s grace and the passage of time for others to improve.

Matters that may be the subject of fraternal correction include all aspects of Christian living, because all of them together make up the context of personal sanctification and the apostolate of the Church. Generally speaking, they would include:

(1) habits contrary to the law of God and the commandments of the Church;

(2) attitudes or behaviours that conflict with the witness that all Christians are called to give in their family and social life, in their job, etc.;

(3) single faults if they represent grave harm to the Christian life of the person concerned or the Church.

When we receive fraternal correction it is important to maintain the right attitude, which can be summed up as follows: supernatural outlook, humility and gratitude. It is appropriate to accept a fraternal correction gratefully, without arguing or offering explanations or excuses, because we see the person who corrects us as a brother or sister who is concerned for our holiness. If we find ourselves annoyed or put off by a correction, we should meditate on the words of St Cyril: “Reproof makes the humble improve, but seems unbearable to the proud.” In such cases, we should meditate on the correction in God’s presence to grasp its full meaning, and if we still cannot understand, we should consult a prudent person (priest, spiritual director, etc.) to help us comprehend it properly.

7. Fruits of fraternal correction

 

The practice of fraternal correction brings many benefits, both for the giver and for the receiver. As a specific act of Christian charity, it bears fruits of joy, peace and mercy. It also requires us to exercise many virtues, starting with charity, humility, and prudence. It improves our formation on the human plane, making us more courteous; it improves interpersonal relationships; it impedes malicious gossip or unkind jokes about our neighbour’s behaviour or attitudes; it strengthens the unity of the Church and her institutions at every level, thus giving greater effectiveness to the evangelizing mission; it guarantees faithfulness to the spirit of Jesus Christ; and it enables Christians to experience the firm security of knowing that we can count on the help of our brothers and sisters in the faith: A brother helped by his brother is like a strong city.

 

 

 

ex-franciscan seminarian mike enriquez dies at age 71 in 2023

 Mike Enriquez, posibleng naging pari kung hindi naging brodkaster (msn.com)

Sa "Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel" noong June 2022,  ikinuwento ni Mike na posibleng naging pari siya kung hindi siya naging broadcaster.

...

Sabi pa ni Mike, pumasok siya sa Franciscan seminary at namalagi roon ng hindi lalampas ng isang taon.

"Ako dapat one week lang eh. Tapos noong patapos na, sabi ko roon sa parents ko, 'Ayaw ko nang umuwi.''

Gayunman, hindi pumayag ang kaniyang mga magulang na tumuloy ng seminaryo si Mike.

"Sinabihan ako ng Rector, superior, na 'You cannot stay because wala 'yung consent ng parents mo.' Ang hagulgol ko no'n, grabe," ani Mike.

meaning of holiness

 "...To be holy does not mean being perfect, but it does mean being set apart for God and his purposes. Because of that fact, all of us who have been baptized have received a very high call: to always be people who, by our lives, point to Christ and his saving death and resurrection." -- Fr Mike Schmitz

(20+) Toby Kenobe | Facebook

the androgynous / intersex BISSU of south sulawesi, indonesia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_in_Bugis_society

The Bugis people are the most numerous of the three major ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, Indonesia,^[1][2] with about 3 million people. Most Bugis are Muslim, but many pre-Islamic rites continue to be honoured in their culture, including the view that gender exists on a spectrum.^[3] Most Bugis converted from Animism to Islam in the early 17th century;^[4] small numbers of Bugis have converted to Christianity, but the influence of Islam is still very prominent in their society.^[5]

In contrast to the gender binary, Bugis society recognizes five genders: makkunrai, oroané, bissu, calabai, and calalai.^[6] The concept of five genders has been a key part of their culture for at least six centuries, according to anthropologist Sharyn Graham Davies, citing similar traditions in Thailand, Malaysia, India and Bangladesh.^[7]

Oroané are loosely comparable to cisgender men, makkunrai to cisgender women, calalai to transgender men, and calabai to transgender women,^[6] while bissu are loosely comparable to androgynous or intersex people and are revered shamans or community priests.^[7] The classification of the calabai, calalai, and bissu as third genders is disputed. These roles can also be seen as fundamental occupational and spiritual callings, which are not as directly involved in designations such as male and female.^[8][9]

In Bugis society, androgynous bissu are priests, shamans, sorcerers, or mediums.

=============================================================

The calabai identity is seen as unavoidable, permanent, and given by God. Although this view has aided in the general tolerance of calabai in many parts of modern Bugis society, in some cases it also promotes the exclusion of calabai due to implications of pity and lack of individual agency.^[18][19] Additionally, they lack much of the spiritual significance associated with the bissu, and there is a corresponding drop in the amount of respect afforded to the calabai in comparison.^[19]

=========================================================================

There is a considerably small amount of calalai even compared to the bissu and the calabai because many are disincentivized from identifying as calalai. There is generally a higher level of discrimination towards people assigned female at birth who forego becoming mothers and wives, and they are often stereotyped as lazy. Much of their work is also out of public view, such as in agriculture, compared to calabai who are often seen working as cooks, hairdressers and wedding planners, and these contrasts may contribute to this stereotype.^[18]

Jim Claviezel (JC): conviction amidst struggles on acting as christ

https://www.facebook.com/groups/979368822090895/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=7029001963794187

The Movie PASSION OF CHRIST:

“Mel Gibson warned actor Jim Caviezel that playing the character of Christ was going to be very difficult and that if he accepted, he most likely would be marginalized by Hollywood.

Caviezel asked for a day to think about it and his response to Mel who was funding and directing the movie was: "I think we have to make it, even if it is difficult." And something else, my initials are J.C., and I am 33 years old. "I didn't realize that until now."

Mel responded with “You're really scaring me you know.”

During filming, Jim Caviezel who plays the part of Jesus lost 45 pounds, he was struck by lightning, he was accidentally struck twice during the scourging scene leaving a deep 14-inch scar, he dislocated his shoulder when the cross was dropped into the hole with him on the cross. He then suffered pneumonia and hypothermia from being nearly naked with only a loin cloth on the cross for endless hours. The crucifixion scene alone took 5 weeks of the 2 months of shooting.

His body was so stressed and exhausted from playing the role that he had to undergo two open heart surgeries after the filming production.

Jim explained, “I didn’t want people to see me. I just want them to see Jesus. Conversions will happen through that.”

Almost like a clairvoyant prediction many amazing things happened.

Pedro Sarubbi, who played Barabbas, felt that it was not Caviezel who was looking at him, but Jesus Christ himself, as he played that role he said of Caviezel, “His eyes had no hatred or resentment towards me, only mercy and love."

Luca Lionello, the artist who played Judas, was an avowed atheist before shooting began. He eventually converted, and baptized his children.

One of the main technicians working on the film was a Muslim converted to Christianity.

Some producers said they saw actors dressed in white they didn’t recognize during one of the filming sessions, and when they reviewed the recordings they realized they couldn’t see them in that footage.

The Passion of the Christ is the highest grossing US religious as well as the highest R-rated film of all time, with $370.8 million! Worldwide, it grossed $611 million.

More importantly, it has reached 100’s of millions of people around the world.

Mel Gibson paid $30 million out of his own pocket for the production of the film because no studio would take on the project.

Today Jim Caviezel simply and boldly proclaims his faith in Christ, and the miracle it was for him to represent Christ as an actor and a greater believer of Christ because of this experience.

empathy for priests

https://www.facebook.com/groups/979368822090895/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=7029001963794187

When You Visit A Priest, Please Remember...

That a priest isn't married, nor will he have a family of his own. No wife, no children. His family is his parishioners. He is a spiritual father in faith to the community he serves. His future is in celebrating the Eucharist at mass every day, listening to confessions, anointing the sick, serving those who come to him for help. A priest may serve a parish only for a minimum of five to seven years. After that he may be transferred to another parish or assigned a different role in the Church. He relies on his team of volunteers, staff and the lay faithful. Don't expect him to be there all the time for you.

When you give money to the Church, you may be surprised to know that the money isn't for him because no priest earns a fixed salary. They receive a stipend to meet their basic expenses of food, clothing and travel. They save every penny to go for a vacation and much of the money is gifted by friends, relatives and well wishers as they don't get paid leave like the rest of us who work.

While we work for a fixed amount of hours with two days off a week, priests are expected to be on stand by 24/7. So don't be angry if they don't respond to you when you need them. They are humans as well with the same frailty as us.

If you hear anyone speaking badly about a particular priest, please correct that person and don't engage in idle gossip without knowing the facts. Remember that they are alone and at times would need company. Pay attention to their emotional, physical and mental needs. Accompany them if needed or offer a helping hand or even a lift. It's not easy to go out alone at 2 or 3 in the morning especially in dangerous neighborhoods for counseling or even anointing someone on their death bed. If someone comes to them at such an hour for help, they have to get up from their deep sleep and still be expected to celebrate Mass in the morning. Who is there for them when they are ill or have emergencies in the middle of the night? Yet they are required to perform their duties because if not them, who?

Remember their birthdays, ordination anniversaries and important events in their lives. Celebrate with them, cry with them. Offer a shoulder to lean on. If they fall, don't judge or criticize. Lift them up and help them on their journey in life. Don't be offended if they don't live up to your expectations. No priest is perfect.

So take care of your priests, remember the ones who baptized, confirmed, married and anointed you. The ones who offer masses for your intentions and pray for you. May God bless our priests in Jesus name, our eternal High Priest. Amen.

-Clive Fernandez