The Church of St. Augustine in St. Cloud shared a recent reflection from the Rev. Scott Pogatchnik on the idea of resolving conflict as followers of the Lord.

“With heightened political and social tensions, we long for a spiritual salve,” Fr. Pogatchnik said in the church's Sept. 6 bulletin. “Instead, while the Word of God is always meant to build up the Body of Christ, we receive some piercing texts.”

Pogatchnik noted that it is our job to charitably correct those who speak or think in error. This means that if we know someone in our lives is cheating, lying, stealing or living in a way that is contrary to the revelation of the Lord, we are to draw their attention to the privation and compel them to turn from their ways.

“First, we should pray for the person and ask the Lord to help us see how best to communicate his truth to him or her,” Pogatchnik said. “The second general rule the saints propose to us is to make some small sacrifices for the person, like fasting.”

Finally, we should take action when the time is right. While sometimes the response may be more tense than we would like, it is our job to speak truth with the love and charity of the Lord.

“The point is not that one be right and the other wrong, but that both win by being brought into greater loving communion with Jesus," Pogatchnik said. "We should seek to express it in the most effective way, directly, tenderly and clearly."

Pope Francis also says that we should be quick to point out how things should be done rather than drawing attention to the fault of the person, all while remaining truthful and not diluting the truth.

“We all need hope," Fr. Pogatchnik said. "Christ desires to give it. Even if we don’t see today’s Scripture as the hopeful message we’d desire, God can bring great communion from the courageous choice to invite people higher."