Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent”, you must forgive.’ The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you. Luke 17:1-6
We all stumble. We all make mistakes. We all lose faith at times. Last week, when preparing my blog, in my anxiety, I used this Monday's readings for last Monday. I was anxious about the then upcoming surgery the next day and could not focus well. Our human nature is flawed and we are bound to make mistakes and sometimes hurt others. Jesus encourages us to simply repent, admit our mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Americans are not good ask admitting mistakes, and often justify their actions instead of seeking forgiveness. That behavior makes things worse. Our best behavior is to repent, ask forgiveness and admit to our broken humanity. There are always people who will forgive us, help us up and set us on the road again.
Wondrous Creator, you love us all
as we stumble and fall, you love us
as we try to hide mistakes, you love us
and when we admit the errors, you love us still.
We often disrupt communities with stumbling
we tear apart the fabric by defending mistakes
you call us to confess and ask for forgiveness
and trust we will be renewed and made whole again.
May we be humble enough to admit stumbling
may we confess our mistakes for the sake of others
make us those who shower forgiveness on all
and love one another in all our human frailties. Amen.
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