Things that cause sin will inevitably occur

12 NOVEMBER (Lk 17,1-6)

Avoiding any scandal is the principle of right action. Every one of us must commit himself so that no scandal takes place through his whole body, either immediately, instantly, and or in the future, due to hidden and secret actions that surely one day will come to light. The lives of our brothers rest entirely on our righteous, wise and prudent conduct. It is worth while reading a passage from the Book of Judith.

When Judith, therefore, heard of the harsh words which the people, discouraged by their lack of water, had spoken against their ruler, and of all that Uzziah had said to them in reply, swearing that he would hand over the city to the Assyrians at the end of five days, she sent the maid who was in charge of all her things to ask Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of the city, to visit her. When they came, she said to them: “Listen to me, you rulers of the people of Bethulia. What you said to the people today is not proper. When you promised to hand over the city to our enemies at the end of five days unless within that time the Lord comes to our aid, you interposed between God and yourselves this oath which you took. Who are you, then, that you should have put God to the test this day, setting yourselves in the place of God in human affairs? It is the Lord Almighty for whom you are laying down conditions; will you never understand anything? You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or grasp the workings of the human mind; how then can you fathom God, who has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his plan? “No, my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God. For if he does not wish to come to our aid within the five days, he has it equally within his power to protect us at such time as he pleases, or to destroy us in the face of our enemies. It is not for you to make the Lord our God give surety for his plans. “God is not man that he should be moved by threats, nor human, that he may be given an ultimatum. “So while we wait for the salvation that comes from him, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our cry if it is his good pleasure. For there has not risen among us in recent generations, nor does there exist today, any tribe, or clan, or town, or city of ours that worships gods made by hands, as happened in former days. It was for such conduct that our forefathers were handed over to the sword and to pillage, and fell with great destruction before our enemies. But since we acknowledge no other god but the Lord, we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our people. If we are taken, all Judea will fall, our sanctuary will be plundered, and God will make us pay for its profanation with our life’s blood. For the slaughter of our kinsmen, for the taking of exiles from the land, and for the devastation of our inheritance, he will lay the guilt on our heads. Wherever we shall be enslaved among the nations, we shall be a mockery and a reproach in the eyes of our masters. Our enslavement will not be turned to our benefit, but the Lord our God, will maintain it to our disgrace. “Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kinsmen. Their lives depend on us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rests with us. Besides all this, we should be grateful to the Lord our God, for putting us to the test, as he did our forefathers. Recall how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tried Isaac, and all that happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was tending the flocks of Laban, his mother’s brother. Not for vengeance did the Lord put them in the crucible to try their hearts, nor has he done so with us. It is by way of admonition that he chastises those who are close to him.” (Jdt 8, 9-27).

The scandal is a key that opens the door to evil so that it enters into a heart and devastates it. Jesus teaches us today that scandals will always occur. The sinful man will always commit grave sins that are incitement to evil for many of his brothers. Of the harm caused to others we are accountable to God. Because of us, of our thinking, our idea, our action, the whole world could fall into error, sin and the abandonment of the truth of our God and Lord.

He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person 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.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints, always make us pure and holy.