“BE ON YOUR GUARD!” LK 17:1-6

Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one 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.”  “Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, ‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”Lk 17:1-10

Jesus reminds us that there is a big difference between things that cause sin and people that cause sin.  As I mentioned yesterday, there are many avenues for us to be tempted.  Skipping Mass for sports or entertainment, cell phones, not praying, Snap chat and other forms of social media, video games, popularity, beauty, and wealth or material goods.  These material things are not evil in and of themselves, but they are avenues that can cause us to sin or encourage us to cause others to sin.

Jesus says, ”Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,” Jesus says, but “woe to the one through whom they occur.”  If someone is encouraging us not to go to Mass or won’t take us.  If people are encouraging us to play sports on the weekend and not go to Mass.  If people we communicate with on our cell phones are putting others down, being mean, boasting, worrying about who is popular and who is not, who has the most money or things, who is the prettiest.

If people are putting down prayer, faith, being yourself, and striving for holiness, “Be on your guard”.  If people are making fun of others in Snapchat.  If we are playing video games or watching Netflix for long hours and not praying or creating unhealthy sleeping habits which make us not want to pray or go to Church, “Be on your guard”.  Those people who place popularity over God and others and hurt other people, “Be on your guard”.  Those who worry about their looks so much they may put others down or create a false identity for themselves and lower other’s self-worth.  Those who show off their material goods and woo them over others or make others feel bad because they don’t have something, “Be on your guard”.

Jesus takes those who cause sin very serious, “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!”
This may cause each one of us to feel guilty because we have done these things before.  Jesus follows this harsh verse about those who cause sin with, “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.”  Jesus teaches us if someone has wronged us or tried to get us to sin, we must forgive them.  Thank goodness, I am sure I tried to get someone to sin in my youth on many occasions.  

Today’s challenge: Go against the grain, be a person that leads others to Christ instead of to sin.  Forgive as God always forgives you.  Put positive peer pressure on someone to do good and resist evil.

Be a servant, become a saint!
​#Christian YOLO