Scandals

Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time C-2\

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Ps 88 (87):3 Let my prayer come into your presence. Incline your ear to my cry for help, O Lord.

Collect Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Scripture today: Titus 1:1-9; Psalm 23; Luke 17:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:1-6)

Scandals (skandala) In his booklet on Mary MacKillop: A Spiritual Model for All (originally 1999), James Cuskelly makes a remark on Mary MacKillop’s remarkable journey of love and forgiveness in the face of injustice towards her. He observes that “in their anger, their bitterness, their disillusion (many people) stop on the road to holiness... Few, very few, go on unscathed for to do so requires a veritable miracle of grace” (p.25). He says later (p.39) that “in God’s wise ordaining we are called to love even our enemies. Few of us do so” (italics mine). My reason for quoting these words is not to discuss here the wonderful spirit of Mary MacKillop, but to note that Bishop Cuskelly seems to imply that not many reach high sanctity, and this is because not many walk the path of persevering forgiveness and love for those who wrong them. Now, whether or not this is the case is not my purpose to discuss here — for, in any case, it is a question of fact. However, prescinding from the matter of forgiveness and love for one’s enemies, we are certainly reminded of the tragedy of any failure to follow Christ through and go the full distance with him. Sin and mediocrity is the true catastrophe of life, and our Gospel today (Luke 17:1-6) reminds us of some of the factors involved in it. At the outset of the passage we are told of the influence of one person on another in taking the path of sin. “Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard!” Elsewhere in the Gospel our Lord solemnly warns against sin. It would be better to have one’s eye torn out than to have two eyes and be cast into hell. Here, though, he is directing his words against those who lead others to sin. It is impossible that “things that cause sin” (skandala) not come, but “woe to him through whom they come!” This is a further reason for every person being on his mettle during life, for his deeds will not only count in the divine judgment on himself, but they will count for their impact on others.

When we think of skandala — sinful actions that lead others to sin — a host of sins arise in the mind. The habit of profanity in speech, taking the name of the Lord in vain, can have its origins in what the offending persons have constantly heard in the speech of their family and friends. They have been led by them into such a habit, to which they have consented. Many other sins could be mentioned, such as corruption, embezzlement, theft, sexual immorality, injustice. Those who influence others by word and example along the path of sin, constitute “the world” in opposition to God. There are three great sources of influence fighting on behalf of sin and against the following of Jesus Christ. They are the “world,” the “flesh” and the Devil. Christ in his opening remarks in today’s passage in effect warns those who act as part of the “world” in leading others astray. Now, there is one most notable sin which we can forget, and our very passage today can serve to remind us of it. Our passage today would appear to consist of a few distinct sayings: the warning against those who do things that lead others to sin (skandala), the saying on correction and forgiveness, and the saying on faith. Increase our faith, was the request of the Apostles. All through his ministry our Lord insisted on the central importance of faith — faith in Christ’s almighty and loving power, and faith in his word. Time and again, he asked those who requested a healing, Do you believe I can do this for you? Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe! I tell you, in all of Israel I have not seen faith like this! Go, your faith has saved you. Seeing their faith, he said to the paralytic, Friend, your sins are forgiven. He could work no miracles there because they had no faith. This is the work of God, to believe in the one he has sent. Now, how great the sin of one who leads a person away from belief in Jesus Christ! The foundation of all is this belief, and how tragic to lead a person to sin against faith, and to abandon Christ and his Church. Many have been thus led astray out of the foundation of the one true Faith. “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur.”

Increase our faith! Let us so live our faith that others will be led to the faith, and led to live it deeply, led to make it the foundation of their whole lives, and led to seek its perfection in sanctity. Let us not, by our mediocrity and our sins, be the cause of skandala, things that “cause” or influence others in the direction of sin, especially sins against faith. Wherever we go in life, we shall take others along with us to a greater or lesser extent. What a tragedy if we draw others along with us away from God.

(E.J.Tyler)\

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A Second Reflection: (Luke 17:1-6)

Fulfilment of Our Responsibilities I remember watching an interview on television with the actor Charlton Heston. He believed that one of the most serious deficiencies these days is a lack of a sense of responsibility. It is obvious that we ought strive to gain a lively sense of what we are responsible for, and a determination to meet those responsibilities. There are tasks in life laid on each of us, and the welfare of many is dependent on our doing all we can to fulfill them. There will be consequences for those people and for ourselves if we do not meet them. Our Lord gives us two examples in Luke 17: 1-6. We are never to lead astray any of the little ones, and we are to correct the person who is doing something wrong. "It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!" One modern saint (St Josemaria Escriva) pointed to the donkey tied to the water wheel. The donkey's sole task was to go round and round the water wheel ensuring the water got out to the crops. The donkey, of course, did not see the point of it and its work was simple routine. But so much depended on that donkey's daily task.

We must fulfil our God-given responsibilities with love for God and dedication, no matter how routine and pointless it might seem. Thus will our work be sanctified, and in that sanctified work, we and others will be sanctified.

(E.J.Tyler)

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