“If I tell the wicked man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked man, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.” (Ezekiel 33:8-9)
Our faith is not lived out individually but in communion with one another. We are here to help one another get to heaven. We are called to speak the Truth even when it makes others and ourselves uncomfortable. None of us like to have our faults pointed out to us. But when it is done out of love, it is easier to swallow. During a group conversation several years ago, a friend asked the priest, “How can I tell my daughter not to have premarital sex when I did the same thing myself? When I brought it up she threw that in my face, reminding me that I had premarital sex and I was being a hypocrite.” The priest reminded us that we are all sinners, we have all made mistakes but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t speak the Truth. We can use our own lives to show how God is working on us. How he is calling us to turn away from sin. By sharing our own struggles with sin we help the person to see that we are not being judgmental, we are here to help them live a life that is holy.
When we turn a blind eye to someone living in a way that goes against out Christian values, whether it is out of fear, laziness, or for some other reason, then we are responsible. Sometimes we really wish someone didn’t intervene and show us the Truth. In 2003, a priest told me that I was not supposed to be receiving the sacraments because my marriage wasn’t in accordance with Catholic doctrine. By this time, we had been married 17 years and my faith was deepening. My job allowed me to attend daily Mass. Being told I couldn’t go to communion until our marriage was convalidated was a stab in the heart for me and caused many tears. We had to get my husband’s first marriage annulled and it was a long, arduous process. It wasn’t until 18 months later that our marriage was convalidated. During this time my sister, who lives in another state, asked her priest about this. He told her that what I was told is what the Church teaches but that she could continue to receive the sacraments. At first I was angry that her priest let her, while mine wouldn’t, but I am glad that my priest stood firm in the Church’s teachings and not give into the pressures of society. It was during these 18 months that my faith deepened immensely and my marriage grew stronger.
“Whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20)
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