“Only take care lest
this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the
weak... Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother’s falling,
I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.” --I
Corinthians 8:9,13, RSV
We are born with the
desire to please ourselves. That desire is mightily reinforced
by American popular culture. The general culture urges us to
seek our own satisfactions, no matter what others might think.
Baptism into Christ and
the Church and following Christ give us a different way of
life. This rather odd way of life involves putting the good of
others, especially other Christians, before our own desires. To
be sure, this does not come naturally to us. But this strange
habit comes to us through the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
Writing to the
Corinthian Christians, St. Paul insisted that the more seasoned
Christians in the congregation not take advantage of their
liberty in Christ and do things that would offend more recent
Christian converts. If eating meat offered to idols would
offend recent converts, more mature Christians should not eat
such meat. The Christian challenge is to put the good of the
weaker brethren ahead of one’s own interests.
On this day near the
middle of Lent 2004, let us consider our lives. Are we doing
some things that we really enjoy that might cause a weaker
brother or sister to stumble? Do we watch television shows,
listen to musical artists, attend movies, wear styles of
clothing, or speak slang expressions that might give offense to
another in the church? If so, for the good of others, we would
be faithful to Christ to change our ways. Again, this is for
the good of others, for the faith of others.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Son, Jesus
Christ. We praise you, because he lived for others, because he
lived for us. He sought not his own satisfactions, but he lived
and died for our salvation. Teach us his self-denying way of
life. Give us your Son’s mind, heart, and desires. In the name
of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
--Paul T.
Stallsworth
