“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”
Mark 9:42
There is no doubt that we’re instruments of God’s grace; He uses even the least likely to be instruments of his grace. Simply remember the way in which the greatest sign of his grace came into the world, born in a manger to a poor and humble woman. Today, in one breath, Jesus reminds us of this faculty, but in the other, He warns us how we can also close ourselves off from his grace and be deceived by the wicked into doing his work instead. It’s to say … just like we could be an instrument of grace when we’ve surrendered to God, when we’re selfless and acting with Christ, we could also be an instrument of disruption or temptation for others when we’re selfish and acting like the wicked, when we’ve joined ourselves to the wicked. Just like we could lead others to God’s grace, we could also lead others to temptation by our words and actions.
Therefore, we require careful consideration of what we do so as not to lead others to sin. You see … when we’re consumed by our selfishness or needs, we fail to see how they may affect others in our lives or those around us. Reckless driving, for example, may upset or anger safe drivers around us. Dressing in a certain way may incite lustful thoughts. Using unkind words and even being consumed by an addiction may lead others to hurtful or negative feelings. We may do this intentionally or not, yet we should be considerate of how our words and actions may impact the well-being, the soul of the other. Here’s then where our conscience reacts – integrating God’s teachings and remaining in God’s path; where that old-age dilemma comes into play – just because we could doesn’t mean that we should. Jesus Christ helps us to differentiate the two, and He teaches us that surrendering to God and sacrificing at times our selfishness or needs is God’s will, the way of love.
This weekend, we also “officially” welcome “home” Fr. Adam Marchese who will be with us for a period of time until he’s called back to military duty. We’re so happy to have him as part of our community, He was a great help during my first year here while I was by myself, and I know that he will continue to be a blessing for us.
In Christ
Fr Robert