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Objection 1: It would seem that passive scandal may happen even to
the perfect. For Christ was supremely perfect: and yet He said to
Peter (Mt. 16:23): "Thou art a scandal to Me." Much
more therefore can other perfect men suffer scandal.
Objection 2: Further, scandal denotes an obstacle which is put in a
person's spiritual way. Now even perfect men can be hindered in their
progress along the spiritual way, according to 1 Thess. 2:18:
"We would have come to you, I Paul indeed, once and again; but
Satan hath hindered us." Therefore even perfect men can suffer
scandal.
Objection 3: Further, even perfect men are liable to venial sins,
according to 1 Jn. 1:8: "If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves." Now passive scandal is not always a mortal sin,
but is sometimes venial, as stated above (Article 4). Therefore
passive scandal may be found in perfect men.
On the contrary, Jerome, in commenting on Mt. 18:6, "He
that shall scandalize one of these little ones," says: "Observe
that it is the little one that is scandalized, for the elders do not
take scandal."
I answer that, Passive scandal implies that the mind of the person
who takes scandal is unsettled in its adherence to good. Now no man
can be unsettled, who adheres firmly to something immovable. The
elders, i.e. the perfect, adhere to God alone, Whose goodness is
unchangeable, for though they adhere to their superiors, they do so
only in so far as these adhere to Christ, according to 1 Cor.
4:16: "Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ."
Wherefore, however much others may appear to them to conduct
themselves ill in word or deed, they themselves do not stray from their
righteousness, according to Ps. 124:1: "They that trust in
the Lord shall be as Mount Sion: he shall not be moved for ever that
dwelleth in Jerusalem." Therefore scandal is not found in those who
adhere to God perfectly by love, according to Ps. 118:165:
"Much peace have they that love Thy law, and to them there is no
stumbling-block [scandalum]."
Reply to Objection 1: As stated above (Article 2, ad 2), in
this passage, scandal is used in a broad sense, to denote any kind of
hindrance. Hence Our Lord said to Peter: "Thou art a scandal to
Me," because he was endeavoring to weaken Our Lord's purpose of
undergoing His Passion.
Reply to Objection 2: Perfect men may be hindered in the
performance of external actions. But they are not hindered by the
words or deeds of others, from tending to God in the internal acts of
the will, according to Rm. 8:38,39: "Neither death, nor
life . . . shall be able to separate us from the love of God."
Reply to Objection 3: Perfect men sometimes fall into venial sins
through the weakness of the flesh; but they are not scandalized
(taking scandal in its true sense), by the words or deeds of others,
although there can be an approach to scandal in them, according to
Ps. 72:2: "My feet were almost moved."
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