Jesus is talking about sin and scandal in today’s Gospel passage. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mk 9:42) The heartbreaking betrayal of Judas remains the greatest scandals in Christianity. He failed to understand Christ, even after living with him for more than three years. Instead of accepting the forgiveness of a loving God by repentance, he lost faith in his life. But we have eleven other disciples who were faithful and witnessed Christ by laying down their lives. Our Church consists of saints and sinners. But that is no excuse for us to sin and remain as unfaithful disciples of Christ.
There is no shortage of scandals in the Church today also. We are very often afraid to talk and discuss it because we are all part of it and are vulnerable to sin. It makes us look weak, small, and sometimes pathetic. Scandal can be caused either deliberately or by irresponsible negligence, but it shakes the faith of so many people. Every sin we commit alters our relationship with God. There is only one solution to handle these scandals. We, ourselves, should repent daily and then witness Christ with our words and deeds.
On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is one of the famous fresco paintings of Michelangelo. This beautiful painting, “Creation of Adam” illustrates the Biblical creation where God gives life to Adam, the first man. In this picture, God is extending his hand to touch Adam and Adam stretches his hand to touch God. The state of the human condition is clearly expressed here. It gives the impression that God, the giver of life, is reaching out to Adam but at the same time, there is a small gap between their fingers. This gap is created by the sin of Adam, which is eventually filled by the Son of God through his incarnation, death, and resurrection. The picture of Adam contains the image of each one of us who is trying to touch God through Christ.
In this extraordinary picture, fingers of God and Adam are reaching out to touch each other. The index finger of God is pointed to the man. God is ready to impart power to man through his divine touch. But Adams’s finger is downward pointed, as it is weak to receive energy from the Lord. It is up to the man to raise his finger and touch God through his holiness. He should make himself worthy of contacting God through his actions.
Church history is also filled with so many sinners who have become great saints. St. Mary of Egypt, who lived in the fifth century, is such a saint. When she was twelve years old, she ran away from her home to the big city of Alexandria and later became a prostitute. She joined a pilgrim group who were going to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. She wanted to seduce the pilgrims to make money. But while in the Holy Land, in the Church of Holy Sepulcher, she had a conversion experience. She repented of her sins and then spent the remaining 47 years of her life as a hermit in the desert. Now she is an exemplary saint of the Church.
When we realize the value of our eternal life, we won’t be afraid to give up our sinful way of living. God approaches us every day, extending his hand with compassion and love. Now it is up to us to respond to this invitation with a heart filled with the love for Christ. Let us pray today to God to make us great examples of faith in the world.
Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil