Luke 17:1-6, Mark 9:41-50
Wow! There goes the “hug-me-Jesus” idea right out the window again! But I guess when it comes to sin, Jesus gets pretty serious. Sin is a terrible thing. It has the power to eternally destroy a soul (torture may be a better choice of words than destroy because a soul cannot be destroyed; it is eternal). Here, Jesus says that it is better that one should suffer that fate than two. It is better that the one who leads others into sin should die than for them to live and bring others down with them. The “millstone” of sin will drag to the bottom anyone who hangs onto it!
I think we have been conditioned to think of this passage as speaking of leading children into sin because Jesus uses the term “little ones.” However, it is a serious offense at any age. I am just as capable of leading my family and friends into sin as I am of leading my children. In fact, I am probably more likely to lead the adults in my life to sin than I am to lead my children. I am around adults more than my children and I may say or do things in the presence of adults that I may not do in the presence of my children.
Lest we start a millstone factory and begin ringing everyone’s necks with them, Jesus balances this serious warning with the call to forgiveness. If we are scandalized, or “sinned against” we have the duty to lovingly rebuke our brother in the Lord (btw, that loving rebuke may also be directed towards ourselves). If this correction is done in love and is effective we have saved our souls and the soul of our brother(cf. James 5:19-20). He even takes it a step further and tells us that even if it happens over and over, we must forgive (again, we must forgive ourselves too. Sinners accuse, saints excuse – even ourselves – but they stand up and try again). This isn’t too hard when I think of my “repeated” sins and the times when God has forgiven me again and again.
Going Deeper
Today let us pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for someone who in our life we feel has led us into sin. Maybe it was a friend, neighbor, or relative. Let us pray for their conversion and healing as well as our own, “for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.“
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James M. Hahn, Author 