Monday,
November 10, 2014
32nd Week in
Ordinary Time
ST. LEO THE GREAT
1st Reading: Tt 1:1-9
Gospel: Luke 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who has brought it about. It would be better for that one to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around the neck. Truly this would be better for that person than to cause one of these little ones to fall.
“Be careful. If your brother offends you, rebuke him and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times in a day but says to you seven times: ‘I’m sorry,’ forgive him.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree: ‘Be uprooted and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel
in the Assimilated
Life Experience)
Today’s Gospel presents points of renewal for believers. The first has reference to scandal, a term derived from the Greek skandalizein which means “to make one stumble”. Jettison awaits those who ignore the warning not to scandalize the faith of others. They will have to go down to the deep blue sea with a millstone tied around their neck. No warning could be sterner. A millstone used in Palestine weighed hundreds of pounds. Having one for a swimming gear surely means death. The gravity of the sin of scandal justifies the seriousness of the punishment attached.
Another area of renewal is the heart’s willingness to forgive. In the light of the love commandment, forgiveness is the call of every believer in Christ. It is our calling then. If all we do is pray the Our Father and exert no effort in living out the prayer’s demands we become the biggest scandals in Christianity. Admittedly forgiveness is one of the hardest Christian tenets to practice. But where the desire to forgive is sincere, the grace of God abounds. One only needs to humble himself, swallow his pride, and admit that it is his obligation to forgive even if the other is yet to seek it out.
The Gospel ends with a reminder on the power of faith. Jesus said, “If you have faith even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this (mulberry) tree: ‘Be uprooted and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” In the first place, it is hard to uproot a mulberry tree because its roots are deeply spread underground. Secondly, mulberry trees won’t grow in the sea. This kind of exaggeration impresses upon us the power of faith in a believer who shines as good example to others and whose heart is ever ready to forgive.- Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website:www.frdan.org.
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