All Souls Saturday; The Discovery of the Relics of the Holy Martyrs at Eugenius.
1 Corinthians 10:23-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Luke 21:8-9, 25-27, 33-36; John 5:24-30.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-28
“All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.” This is how St. Paul begins his fatherly advice to the Corinthians, and his words are well chosen. “All things are lawful” was the moto of the Corinthians, who were known for their libertine culture. St. Paul quickly qualifies this moto in relation to the eating of meat which was sacrificed to idols. In many cases this would have been next to impossible to determine, especially in receiving hospitality from the poor, who were the most likely to purchase these cuts of meat at the market. St. Paul states that God created all and it all belongs to Him anyway, so agonizing over these questions in our own consciences should be avoided.
However, what cannot be avoided is the connection between our actions and the consciences of others. If our brothers and sisters are looking in at what we are eating and see the connection between idolatry and our actions, it is our business to ensure that we do not create a scandal. We are in many ways “our brother’s keepers” as Cain asked the Lord of Abel. We do not simply carry our crosses for ourselves, but the way we carry them shows the world who we are and what we actually believe.
Let us be aware of how we are perceived and avoid scandalizing those who are looking in, hoping to learn who Christ is by watching us.