“But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith in me would be better drowned in the depths of the sea with a great millstone round his neck. Alas for the world that there should be such causes of falling! Causes of falling indeed there must be, but alas for anyone who provides them! ‘If your hand or your foot should be your downfall, cut it off and throw it away: it is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye should be your downfall, tear it out and throw it away: it is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the hell of fire’ (Mt 18:5-9).
In the passage we have read, Jesus warns us of the danger of causing the little ones to stumble. Who are ‘the little ones’ Jesus is talking about? The ‘little ones’ here does not refer to children; rather, it refers to adults who have become little children (Mt 18:3) and, thus, humbled themselves as little ones (Mt 18:4). Put simply, the little ones in the Gospel refers to Jesus’ disciples. Jesus asks everyone to abstain from causing the little ones to sin because Jesus knows that these are His vulnerable disciples. Indeed, as scholars suggest, Jesus has weak, simple and new disciples in His mind when He says these words. Disciples’ vulnerability comes from their weak willpower and their faith that is still in the process of maturation. It is through the proper use of the will, whose assent is essential for growing in the gift of faith, that one becomes a genuine disciple of Jesus. Such being the case, disturbing a tender will, which may be struggling to move along with God’s will, is huge harm. Many souls have derailed due to some thoughtless words from the significant people in their lives, such as parents, elders, teachers, pastors, and intimate friends. As we know from St Paul’s letters to the Romans and Corinthians, some early Christians did hurt the weak conscience of their fellow Christians in matters of food and drink. In our times, various thought-experiments conducted by theologians, philosophers and other writers are making many weak, simple and new believers sceptics. Perhaps, not all those who give suggestive bad examples are aware of the impact of their actions. Those who are variously self-absorbed cannot consider the situation of the vulnerable ones around them. But, Jesus does not discount this blindness as an excuse; in His opinion, those who provide causes of falling must be thrown into the depth of the sea. In order to show that this is the most deadly situation, Jesus compares it with being thrown to the depth of the sea with a millstone around his/her neck. The literal meaning of the word used for millstone is the donkey-driven millstone, which indicates that the person goes swiftly into the bottom of the sea due to the heaviness of the stone. Jesus urges everyone to maintain the same seriousness in removing all causes of downfall.
In light of your word, I have two things to tell you, Lord. First, I am sorry and ashamed that I allow many things and persons that might cause my downfall to staying with me! Give me the courage to remove them all even if it would hurt me badly. Allow an awareness that I can live without them to dawn in me. Second, with a contrite heart, I recall the moments I have been not only insensitive to the weakness of my close associates but also exploitative in my relationships with them. Teach me how to accept those who are weak and different.
Think about the mother and seven sons in the seventh chapter of the second book of Maccabees who preferred heaven to earthly pleasures and glories. Learn the art of comparing the present sufferings with the glory to be revealed.
Pick up some names from the list of your blind admirers, close associates, intimate friends, etc, and examine your conscience to find if you have been responsible for their soul as well as their wholeness. Have you used any of them as a pleasure-giving object or as a guinea pig in your personal projects? Try to be with them as what Jesus is to you.
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