There is a warning about attempting to help a Brother or Sister you discover has developed a pattern of sinful behavior. St. Paul says, "Be careful lest you be tempted as well." What are our greatest temptations?
1. Refuse to patiently bring the light of Christ into the darkness of the Brother's life. Fearfully back off and refuse to keep the focus on confession, repentance, and change. It is easy to allow our desire for harmony to replace courage and slip back into false love and false grace. This leaves the person without hope and cleansing and adds to his sense of True Moral Guilt. A bad conscience wears us out.
2. Allow our own emotional frustration and anger lead to an attack of the Brother. The person needs restoration rather than punishment and condemnation. An immature person may not be able to separate his/her outrage from God's mercy and condemnation not care is the result.
My book, Hope and Change for Humpty Dumpty is a start on this kind of deep caring. Read it.
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