Baltimore Catechism comes in handy again; have you ever been in a situation where you know someone is doing something wrong, but you're not sure to what extent you are obligated to express your concern about that action? Some guy at a party casually mentioning he takes stuff from work, a friend of a friend asks if you want a tarot reading done, etc? Well, the commentary for Q. 222 says:
We are obliged to [admonish the sinner] in the following circumstances: First. When his fault is a mortal sin. Second. When we have some authority or influence over him. Third. When there is reason to believe that our warning will make him better instead of worse.
So you're probably not obligated to tell tell a friend of a friend that you have just met that they shouldn't do tarot, but you probably are obligated to, say, express your concern to a good friend about their amount of alcohol intake. I think the third criterion is interesting, because while it can be read as a 'get get out jail' free card ("I shouldn't say anything, because they'll just double down on their pet sin"), I think it is more useful as a challenge to ask ourselves: "Is there a way that I can brooch this topic in a way in a way that is loving, and in a way that the other person can really hear what I am trying to say?"
























