Can a blind person guide a blind person?

Sir 27,5-8; Ps 91; 1 Cor 15,54-58; Lk 6,39-45
3 MARCH

The correction of brothers is not only necessary, it is also mandatory. There are some ways that must be observed, otherwise the damages produced are very serious. All the Letters of St. Paul have only one aim: correcting every deviation, the fruit of human thought that has been introduced into the mystery of faith. Walking with a false faith, or a faith with elements of non-truth in its bosom, compromises the whole path. Not only does Paul himself correct, personally or by letter, but he invites the disciples of Jesus to correct one another. Here is what he writes to the Thessalonians.

Those who sleep go to sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation. For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who are labouring among you and who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you, and to show esteem for them with special love on account of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good (both) for each other and for all. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil (1Ts 5,7-22).

Jesus asks for the correction, but gives a rule to which we must always adhere. Since every one of his disciples is called to correct his brothers, he is obliged to be irreproachable in everything. His exemplarity must be perfect in doctrine, morality, words and works, before God and men One who needs to be brought back to the right path cannot pretend of correcting the other. Even if he wanted, he could not. He lacks the virtues to do it. One always corrects from the truth, from the virtues, from the holiness, from the observance of the Word, from the obedience to the Commandments and from an evangelically correct life. He corrects by having the eyes of love of the Father, the heart of Christ and his crucified charity and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. If it is made from the evangelical light, correction will always produce good fruit.

And he told them a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.

First of all correction must illuminate the mind with the very pure knowledge of the truth of the mystery of Christ Jesus, in which every other mystery is contained and from which every mystery is known in its most perfect science. In the light of the mystery of Jesus the sound morality that flows from it must always be added. When there is moral confusion it is a sign that there is confusion in the light of the mystery of Jesus. Today, confusion reigns on a universal level because who suffer is the mystery of Christ. Everything is from Christ, in Christ and through Christ. If we declare that Christ is no longer necessary to go to the Father, everything becomes no longer necessary of what comes from the Gospel. Without Christ, the Church is like an ocean without water. It is death.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, help us to bring Christ back to the Church with power.