He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. 2 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. 3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” 5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 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.
Jesus told the disciples that temptations to sin will inevitably come, and strongly condemned those who lead others to sin. The early Church understood Jesus to be saying that Church leaders should not be stumbling blocks for new converts in the community. Disciples should not cause their brothers and sisters who believe to turn away from the faith. Those who are weak in faith are particularly vulnerable, like helpless children. It would be better for anyone who leads the weak away from the faith to suffer a terrible punishment than to cause them to stumble. The disciples must be on guard against sin and hold each other accountable. If a fellow believer sins, they are to rebuke him and if he repents, they are to forgive him. The disciples are to forgive repeat offenders without limit as long as they genuinely repent (Mt. 18:22). Forgiving requires faith (Lk. 18:8).
The disciples had previously asked Jesus why they could not cast a demon out of a deaf and mute boy and Jesus told them it was because of their ‘little faith’ (Mt. 17:19-21). They realized that there were challenges to living in accordance with Jesus’ teaching. They then asked Jesus to increase their faith so that they could withstand the forces of evil like the one that had taken hold of the possessed boy. This was not a request for greater theological understanding but for an increase in faith in God strong enough for them to work miracles the way Jesus did. Jesus told them that if they had a small amount of faith, they would not only be able to withstand evil but be able to do things that seemed impossible. A small amount of faith, like a tiny mustard seed, can do great things. One’s capacity to live Jesus’ teachings and to forgive depends on one’s sincerity of faith.
Almighty God, guard our hearts against temptation and grant us the wisdom and humility to recognize when our actions might lead others away from you. Strengthen our little faith so that we may move all obstacles whether small or mighty and help us to forgive others as you forgive us. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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