Our Own and Others' Burdens
The spirit of the world gloats over sin; the Spirit of Christ leads us to restore the sinner. Our first thought should never be of revenge or contempt, or of the adjustment of our own claims, but rather of how to help our fallen brother to regain his old place in the love of God. The memory of our own temptations and failures should make us very pitiful and tender. The Apostle does not speak, in this place, of premeditated sin, but of that by which we are entrapped and taken unawares.
The most spiritual men in the Church are needed for this holy work of restoration, and they must do it with great meekness and humility. It is thus that we bear one another's burdens; but there are some burdens that each must bear for himself alone, such as his own existence and personal accountability to God.
Life is a seedtime. It is the opportunity of preparing for heavenly harvests. The open furrows invite the seed, and every moment, in some form, we scatter seeds that we shall inevitably meet again in their fruition. Let us remember especially our obligations to God's own children.