Word of the day

A reading from the Book of Wisdom
Wis 1:1-7

Love justice, you who judge the earth;
think of the Lord in goodness,
and seek him in integrity of heart;
Because he is found by those who test him not,
and he manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him.
For perverse counsels separate a man from God,
and his power, put to the proof, rebukes the foolhardy;
Because into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not,
nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin.
For the holy Spirit of discipline flees deceit
and withdraws from senseless counsels;
and when injustice occurs it is rebuked.
For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips;
Because God is the witness of his inmost self
and the sure observer of his heart
and the listener to his tongue.
For the Spirit of the Lord fills the world,
is all-embracing, and knows what man says.

From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 17:1-6

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."

When there is no Christian coherency, and you live with this incoherence, you’re giving scandal. If you happen to be with an atheist who tells you that he does not believe in God, you can read him the whole library, where it says that God exists, and where it is proven that God exists, and he will not believe. However, if in the presence of this same atheist you witness to a consistent, Christian life, something will begin to work in his heart. And it will be your witness that brings him the restlessness on which the Holy Spirit works. All of us, the whole Church should ask the Lord for the grace to be consistent. Acknowledging ourselves as sinners, weak and inconsistent, but always ready to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. All of us, in fact, are able to ask for forgiveness, and God never tires of forgiving. It is important, then, to have the humility to ask for forgiveness when we have not been consistent. In the end, it is a matter of proceeding forward in life with Christian consistency by testifying that we believe in Jesus Christ and by acknowledging that we are sinners. But with the courage to ask for forgiveness when we make mistakes and with great fear of giving scandal. May the Lord give all of us this grace. (Santa Marta, 27 February 2014)