QUESTION: As Christians how do we live with scandals? The Good News which is the Bible contains also events of bad news as well. – Paul M P

ANSWER: Jacob Parappally MSFS

Christian life is a story of rise and fall, death and resurrection. This way of looking at life can be claimed by the people of other religions too. What makes the Christian story unique is that it is a story of hope. Even at the last moment of life a sinner can repent about his or her sins and can rise again if he/she trusts in the ever loving God who patiently waits for a sinner who had abandoned him. Therefore, both the Old and New Testaments reveal to us not only the wonderful works of God (Mirabilia Dei) but also the response of both sinful and virtuous, unjust and just, the oppressor and the oppressed.

In the book of prophet Ezekiel we read the revelation of God. “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 18:23). The text further says God does not want anyone to perish but come to the knowledge of Truth. Both Paul and John say that the Truth is the ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ (cfr I Timothy 2:4-5). To live that Truth in daily life is the vocation of every Christian. However, while following Jesus very closely one can still falter and fall as the values of the world can cloud the mind and one can lose sight of the One whom one is following. Certainly, in this situation any follower of Jesus can fall. Such a fall can cause scandal to others. The fall of a disciple of Christ, when it is known to the rest of the people of God, would be considered a serious scandal if the crime is committed by those who hold leadership roles in the community as well as by those who have taken public vows to follow Jesus closely.

What is a Scandal?

The term scandal originates from the Greek word skandalon which means a trap or snare to catch an enemy. Today, any salacious narration in media about the sexual abuses of religious leaders, politicians, business people or corruption or the abuse of power by them or by well known people in sports or literature are called scandals. But from a theological perspective the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a scandal as a serious sin. “Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor’s tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense. Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep’s clothing (CCC 2284-2285). A scandal can be provoked not only by persons but also by certain laws, institutions, fashions and opinions.

“The little ones” who are scandalized are the disciples of Christ. They are at different levels of faith in Christ and in their intimacy with the Lord. Those who are growing in their faith or are on the process of deepening their faith will certainly be scandalized by the behaviour and actions of those whom they consider to be their leaders and expect to be role models for them. When it is established that the actions of their co-pilgrims in faith and especially if they are leaders do not proceed from their faith and if their attitude, behaviour, life-style and decisions are contrary to the faith of the community, they cause great harm to the community’s credibility and its commitment to proclaim truth.

Any evil committed by any individual affects the entire community of humans because all humans are inter-connected. Therefore, one’s sin affects not only himself or herself ,but it has its ramification for the entire world. So too is one’s virtuous and righteous act. It affects everyone. This is all the more true of the Church. The entire community, the Body of Christ, is affected by the virtue or sin of any of its members. The body symbolism used by St Paul in his Letters points to this truth.

The hierarchy of the Church is entrusted with the duty to teach authoritatively the truth about Christian doctrines and legitimate and valid traditions. They have to preserve the deposit of faith handed over by the apostles faithfully and guard it against digressions. When any one of them teaches false doctrines or support any form of untruth they betray those under their authority and bring discredit to the entire Church. Not only in the matter of faith but also in the practice of morals if the leaders of the Church fail, it would be the worst scandal that can corrode the credibility of the Church.

The Church is holy because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit and every member of the Church also is holy for the same reason. However, the Church is also sinful to the extent the members are both saints and sinners at the same time. The saints, when they make wrong choices for whatever reason, can cause scandal to the fellow-believers because their attitudes and actions do not correspond to the faith they profess. It is a grievous scandal especially to those who are weak in faith if bishops and priests indulge in activities they teach and preach as wrong actions and are unbecoming of a Christian disciple. When those who are ‘expected to foster the supreme norm of character and integrity fall into the unfathomable abyss of moral degradation’, it raises questions not only about their character but also about the truth content of what they proclaim. For this reason, Jesus has warned the people of his times about the hypocrisy of the pharisees and the scribes. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice (Matthew 23:2-3).

The disciples of Christ do not sit on the throne of Moses and if they are given the authority to lead and guide their people, they are expected to follow the servant-leadership style of their Lord and Master Jesus Christ. When they forget that they are servant-leaders of the people of God and falsely assume the ways of the secular leaders both in the exercise of their ministry and their life-style they betray the confidence of both the Lord who ordained them and the people of God to whom they are sent to serve. When they take decisions on matters of importance with their misconceived idea of power or indulge in immoral activities that are not expected of their office, the scandal they cause weaken the faith of some and destroy the faith of those whose faith is already weak. They give opportunity for the enemies of the Church for Church-bashing through media and let them discredit the enormous good that is done by the Church to the society.

Scandals are born and scandals are made. Obviously when the Church leaders indulge in public activities which are unlawful scandals are born. Those who are expected to live a life of integrity and act justly do not live and act according to the faith and tradition of the Church their life becomes scandalous. It affects the entire community of the Church negatively. Some scandals are made by false accusations, unsubstantiated and unverified stories by the selfish interests of individuals or groups. Later, when they are found to be untrue, the harm is already done. A scandal can be caused also by imprudence and omission. Truth itself can become a scandal when it is shared with those who are weak in their faith or with those who are overenthusiastic about sharing it with others with their own exaggerations and fantasies. Scandalous spreading of falsehood about persons, institutions not only bring down the reputations of the victims and institutions but also weaken the faith of those who are not able to distinguish wheat from chaff.

The Bible: Not a Story of Angels

The Holy Bible is not a story of angels and saints. It is a story of more sinners than saints. Almost all the saints in the Bible had a sinful past except Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ who was sinless. The Bible is a library of various genuine experiences of God by the ordinary people of Israel who encountered a liberating, loving, compassionate and protecting God in the Old Testament (OT) and who revealed himself finally, decisively and uniquely in Jesus Christ in the New Testament (NT). It is a summary of the belief of the Church in Jesus Christ and was written in the light of their resurrection experience. In the articulation of their God-experience both in the OT and in the NT, the ultimate author is God himself and the human authors are inspired by the Holy Spirit to write what is necessary for their unfolding as humans and for their final union with God. In the process of their writing, especially in the OT, the human authors have interpreted certain events in favour of Israelites as if God wanted them to exterminate some people who did not belong to them. But they were honest in writing both the virtues and vices of some of the known leaders of Israelites like Moses and David.

The Bible narrates without any hesitation the scandals caused by the great leaders and inspiring models of Faith. The Old Testament speaks of Noah who got drunk and lost control of himself, Abraham who lied about his wife, Jacob who was a schemer and deceiver, Moses who murdered an Egyptian, Rehab who was a prostitute, Samson who was known for his lust and anger and the worst scandal of David, a man who was close to the heart of God but coveted Uriah’s wife and got innocent and loyal Uriah killed through treachery. The New Testament does not hide the scandalous denial of Jesus by the first Pope Peter and the hunger for power by James and John. It does not cover the past of Saul who persecuted Christians and eventually converted to become Paul an apostle of the Gentiles. It shows that even the worst sinners and those who live scandalous lives do have a future. They can be transformed and become powerful and inspiring instruments in the hands of God if they are open to conversion and have unwavering trust in God.

• In the midst of many scandals, especially caused by some leaders of the Church, a true Christian’s attitude to them needs to be similar to Jesus’ advice to his hearers, “do observe what they tell you but not the works they do”. It is also to be noted that the Church is an institution and its leaders are seen to be powerful by those outside the Church. They can also create stories of scandals to discredit the Church. It is not a wonder that in spite of many scandals some people are not at all scandalized by the wrong or allegedly wrong actions of bishops, priests or religious. They cannot be scandalized probably because they do not see their leaders as fallen from heaven or give undue reverence to them. They see them as humans with flesh and blood with a charism given by God to serve them. Most importantly, their adult faith is not based on the actions and attitudes of their bishops and priests but their trust in God who revealed himself in Jesus Christ. As long as Church exists scandals are sure to arise as the Church is not a perfect society but a community striving to be perfect!