Reflections
November 6, 2011
Luke 17:1-6
Jesus 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.”
Reflection:
If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Be
wary of sin, but be understanding of the sinner. There is a world of
difference between sin and sinner. Sin is the system, the occasion, the
temptation, the greed, and the selfishness. The sinner is the person who
falls for or into such web of deceit. We go out to combat sin but reach
out to sinners.
That is why the Church is always pro-life. Every person has a chance
and a right, from the smallest developing human being inside a womb to
the most hardened criminal behind bars. As Jesus exhorts, “If your
brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”
Join or help a group that visits the prisons.
No comments:
Post a Comment