Being Witnesses of Mercy – ILLUMINATE

One chapter at a time from the book by Nino Savarino, Governor of the Misericordia of Rosolini, friend of spazio + spadoni and collaborator on various projects and the blog

From Psalm 42-43 (41-42)
Send your truth and your light; let them guide me, bring me to your holy mountain and to your dwellings.

Pope Francis said:

“With the light of faith, he who was blind discovers his new identity. He is now a “new creature”, able to see his life and the world around him in a new light, because he has entered into communion with Christ, he has entered another dimension.He is no longer a beggar marginalized by the community; he is no longer a slave to blindness and prejudice. His path of illumination is a metaphor for the path of liberation from sin to which we are called. Sin is like a dark veil that covers our face and prevents us from seeing ourselves and the world clearly; the Lord’s forgiveness removes this blanket of shadow and darkness and gives us back new light. The healed blind man, who now sees both with the eyes of the body and with those of the soul, is the image of every baptized person, who immersed in Grace has been snatched from darkness and placed in the light of faith. But it is not enough to receive the light, one must become light. Each of us is called to welcome the divine light to manifest it with all our life.”

Ask a blind person what it’s like to always live in darkness. Ask a blind person what their greatest desire is: to see the light. If you enter a dark room, you immediately turn on the light or open the windows. We cannot live without light. Our light is Jesus. “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn 8, 12). Thanks to His light, we too are called to be light for our brothers: “You are the light of the world; a city set on a mountain cannot remain hidden, nor is a lamp lit to put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand so that it gives light to all those in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5,14-16).

To be light, however, we need the right energy. This energy is Jesus himself. This energy is the sacraments. This energy is the Word of God. Our journey will be beautiful, even at night. Light will always be our companion and our brothers will be happy to advance with us.

WHAT CAN WE DO IN PRACTICE?

ADMONISHING SINNERS

Admonishing is not synonymous with judging, condemning, or discarding. Admonishing is that gentle action of recall of those who seek the good of their interlocutor. Admonishing sinners becomes that gesture of disinterested and charitable love that looks at the heart of the person.

This work requires courage above all. The work of mercy of admonishing begins with correcting oneself. If we consider that every spiritual work of mercy must first be applied to oneself, it is important to analyze one’s own conduct, the intentions of one’s heart, one’s deepest thoughts and evaluate them in the light of the Word of God. Admonishing is an action that requires discernment.

Renouncing correction means leaving the person in their condition of suffering. The exasperation of the one who continuously corrects his brother or sister is an attitude to be avoided, because it produces the effect of discouraging the sinner, aggravating his sense of discomfort and anguish. Admonishing the sinner means being available to accept fraternal correction. Admonishing the sinner presupposes great prudence in speaking. Admonishing means limiting oneself to reporting the behavior that needs to be corrected, without adding superfluous or irreverent comments, without denigrating the individual’s work too much, without offending the dignity of the person. Admonishing the sinner is not just a matter of words but arises from personal example.

Osvaldo Rinaldi, Admonishing sinners… starting from oneself, October 25, 2016

POINTS FOR REFLECTION

If your brother commits a fault, go and admonish him between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you will have gained your brother (Matthew 18, 15)

Source and image: Nino Savarino, Witnesses of mercy, 66-70