Jesus said to his disciples,
"Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
Things that cause sin is from a word also translated as scandal, occasions of stumbling, offences, and stumbling blocks. These are not so much things that force others into sin against their will as a bad example that draws those who see it to imitate it. For example, Jesus told others to obey the Pharisees but not to follow their example. Their example was scandalous since they did not practice what the preached, but instead practiced selfishness, greed, and vanity.
As Christians in a secular world we lament that we don't find occasion to preach the Gospel in words as often as we would like. We must be careful therefore to at least give a good Christian example as much as possible. We are called to a higher standard than others and can't be content to descend to the level which is common in social and political discourse. We must be a people whose lives demonstrate that we genuinely believe what the Church teaches, avoiding sin, and seeking holiness. Yet we know that we will not always succeed. How do we prevent our all too human failures from becoming scandals such as those about which Jesus warns? By demonstrating repentance and humility in the face of our own weakness. If we do this we will avoid giving the appearance, when we do indulge our baser nature, that there is anything to be gained by this or that it is anything worthy of imitation. This is especially important when it is "little ones" observing the example we give.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
Christians are called to create a community of mutual forgiveness, always welcoming back those who can acknowledge the mistakes they have made. This makes it easier for us all to avoid becoming hardened in our ways and thus becoming stumbling blocks to others. We are meant to be ready to forgive others as many times as they ask. And we ourselves must continue to seek forgiveness too, for we know that even the "righteous falls seven times and rises again" (see Proverbs 24:16). Jesus clearly did not envision a Church were everyone was perfected they moment they joined, but rather a Church where we would continue to grow throughout our lives. He desires us to learn to both give and receive generous forgiveness, which we can do because of the generous forgiveness first giving to us by him when he gave his life for us.
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."
The request for faith coming at this point after the discussion of scandal and forgiveness could indicate that the disciples had a realistic appraisal of their own hearts, of how recalcitrant they were, and how resistant to change. They knew that they could not, by natural power, believe that they could change as Jesus desired them to change, and that it would take faith. Jesus apparently did not respond by increasing their faith, but rather by suggesting that they put the faith they did have to work. Apparently they were still thinking according to old paradigms when what they needed was to have their minds renewed.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (see Romans 12:2).
Faith has the power to transform our minds so that it shapes our perceptions, not only about what is true in the abstract, but about what is possible for us in our own lives. This renewal can uproot the "mulberry tree" of despair and lead us toward a genuine and reliable hope.
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