Persons Scandalized

Persons Scandalized.—Is it possible to scandalize people who are firmly rooted in virtue?

(a) If the question be understood of scandal in a wide sense, even the perfect may be scandalized. They may be shocked and horrified at the evil example they witness; they may be hindered from performing the external good works they desire to accomplish (I Thess., ii. 18). But these things do not hinder them internally, or separate them from the love of God (Rom., viii. 38, 39).

(b) If the question be understood of possibility in an absolute sense, even the perfect may suffer real scandal, that is, they may be influenced to sin on account of the example witnessed. Since they are not confirmed in grace in this life, it is not repugnant that they commit sin and lose grace.

(c) If the question be understood of possibility in a relative sense—that is, if we consider what we should expect in view of the character of perfect men, and what does usually happen—the perfect cannot be scandalized, since they are so firmly united to God that the sayings or doings, no matter of whom, cannot cause them to sin (Ps. cxxiv. 1, 2), although they may at times be disturbed thereby (Ps. lxxii. 2).

Is it possible that the perfect should give scandal?

(a) If the question be understood of absolute possibility, even the perfect may give scandal, since they are not immune from defect (I John, i. 8). (b) If the question be understood of relative possibility, as explained above, the perfect cannot scandalize, for their sins are mostly internal acts not entirely deliberate, while the external words or acts in which they fall short deviate so slightly from right as to offer no occasion of sinning to another. The perfect man is one who is on his guard, especially that he become not a stumbling-block to others, and it is therefore a rare exception when he causes scandal.

“10. If someone scandalizes others by his own defects, it is not necessary to reflect upon them, provided that the will to scandalize is not present; and to be unable to reflect upon one’s own defects is a grace of God.” Proposition of Michael de Molinos condemned by Innocent XI.

S. Th. II-II, q. 43, a. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8.

964. Passive or occasioned scandal is a sin, because it is the very spiritual ruin of neighbor on the occasion of the word or deed of another; but it is not a special sin, because taking an occasion from another's word or deed happens according to any genus of sin whatever and does not have a special deformity.

Passive scandal is 1. accepted because given, if the sin of neighbor truly arises from the word or deed of another, or from active scandal; or 2. only accepted, when the sin of neighbor does not truly arise from the word or deed of another, but either a) from the malice alone of the one sinning (for example, concerning exercises of piety or virtue), and then it is Pharisaic, or b) from his ignorance or infirmity alone, and then it is scandal of the little ones or of the weak (for example, concerning a woman honorably adorned). Hence St. Thomas notes that sometimes there is passive scandal without active, as Pharisaic scandal; sometimes active without passive, as when someone induces another to sinning and the latter does not consent; sometimes there is active with passive, if from the induction or evil example of one another sins.

965. The obligation of avoiding passive scandal. - From the law of charity by which we are bound to do good to neighbor, there is also given an obligation, grave from its genus, of avoiding passive scandal, that is, of omitting those things from which neighbor is going to take an occasion of sin, whenever there is not present a sufficient reason for placing the act and permitting the spiritual ruin of neighbor.

But a cause is required so much greater as the sin feared is graver, and as it is foreseen more easily and certainly that it will follow, and as more persons are going to suffer scandal. Hence:

1. generally it is illicit to ask, counsel, command, etc., a work which, although it can indeed be done by another without sin, nevertheless this person certainly or probably will not do without sin, for example, an oath from one who is going to perjure himself; - unless it is done for a just cause of necessity or utility, for example, in the case, by a judge;

2. a greater cause is required that a cleric be the occasion of sin and permit it, than that a layman permit the same; a greater cause is required for permitting scandal of the little ones than Pharisaic scandal;

3. only from most grave necessity is it licit to do a work, however otherwise good, which of itself is very inductive to sinning, for example, to wash oneself or swim naked in public, to exercise the marital act publicly; - and if a great multitude of men is feared to be induced to grave sins, sometimes it would even have to be omitted with the loss of life: namely, to avoid the grave necessity of many.

966. Principles and practical rules. - Therefore, for avoiding passive scandal, certain things are to be omitted. And indeed:

I. For avoiding scandal accepted because given:

a) Every work which actively scandalizes, if it is evil, must always be omitted.

b) Also, generally, a work which has only the appearance of evil must be omitted, unless an urgent and grave reason is present.

This reason ordinarily sufficiently removes scandal; but if it should not suffice for this, then the occasion of ruin must be removed, insofar as it is in the power of the agent, for example, by warning made to neighbor concerning the rectitude of the action on account of a dispensation, an excusing cause, etc.: thus a dispensed priest eating meat on a forbidden day, - or frequenting a suspect person for counsel or administration of a sacrament. And if active scandal, that is, the appearance of evil, cannot be sufficiently removed, one must abstain from the work, whatever some moderns may seem to assert, for St. Thomas says, a. 2: "Active scandal is always a sin in him who scandalizes: because either the very work which he does is a sin; or even if it has the appearance of sin, it must always be left aside on account of charity toward neighbor, from which each one is bound to provide for the salvation of neighbor: and thus he who does not leave it aside acts against charity."

II. For avoiding scandal of the little ones:

a) Things necessary for salvation (the reception of Baptism or of the true faith) must never and cannot be omitted, nor the precepts of the natural law, whether negative (not to lie), or also affirmative if the law urges here and now (the precept of confession of faith or of penance), because it is not licit to do things intrinsically evil that good things may come about.

b) The precepts of positive law certainly are not to be omitted more often, because this would be a grave inconvenience to which charity does not oblige; but more probably they are to be omitted once or another time, grave inconvenience being excluded, because the precept of avoiding scandal, which is of the natural law, of itself urges more than positive precepts.

Examples are found in St. Alphonsus, l. II, n. 52: "A sin by which you know that a confessor in confession, yet from infirmity, will be gravely scandalized, you ought to conceal... A wife once or twice ought to omit a fast from which her husband would be gravely offended and discord would arise... If, when you are going to Mass, grave strife or bloodshed is to be excited, you are not bound to go... A superior can dissemble the sins of a subject in order to avoid disturbances and greater evils which otherwise he would be bound to punish." Thus also a woman knowing that she will be shamefully desired by a certain man, if she goes to Mass on Sunday, could once or twice abstain from Mass.1 This is to be advised in practice, although it cannot strictly be imposed.

c) Works of counsel or indifferent works, provided it can be done without great inconvenience, are to be omitted once or another time, or hidden, or deferred for some time until the reason for the work has been given to neighbor; but if after warning the scandal remains, it is judged Pharisaic.

Hence entrance into religion ought to be deferred on account of the scandal of relatives, if their consent is shortly hoped for; nevertheless someone can rightly enter, if, good motives having been proposed, they continue to resist. - Likewise a woman knowing that she will be shamefully desired by a certain man, for several times ought either to abstain from hearing a non-precepted Mass, or to put aside honorable adornment, or not to present herself at the window, or to abstain from walking about or to take another way so that she may flee his sight; - a fortiori she could not be excused from mortal sin if, led by vanity, although she does not intend the scandal of that man, she deliberately presents herself to his sight, or if she seeks some place which she would not approach unless she knew her lover was there.

III. For avoiding Pharisaic scandal:

a) Ordinarily good works are not to be omitted, because thus an occasion would be given to the evil maliciously to impede good, unless nevertheless fruit were hoped for from delay, or there were no cause for doing the work immediately, or the evil which is feared were far greater than the good which would be obtained by the work, as if a very grave sin at the point of death were feared, or several were going to sin: thus punishment of a sinner is sometimes to be left aside, if schism is feared.

b) Indifferent works are to be omitted, unless a just cause is present, which is not required to be very grave; for example, a priest can for a slight cause pass along a way where malicious haters of religion are found who will blaspheme.

c) Commanded works cannot be omitted; for example, a parish priest cannot omit those things which are necessary for preserving the goods of the church, on account of lawsuits; nevertheless he is bound to warn.

1. She is not bound to abstain from public walking about on account of the scandal of others in general: it would be too grave an inconvenience.

967. Observation. - Temporal goods 1. on account of Pharisaic scandal are not to be given up, because thus an occasion of seizing them would be given to the evil, which would harm the common good, and also those seizing them, who by retaining another's things would remain in sin. Hence no one is bound to pay more to a worker because he foresees that he will blaspheme, nor is a parish priest bound to give up stole fees to forestall the detractions of parishioners, because it is a grave inconvenience to himself and to his successors.

2. But on account of scandal of the little ones one's own temporal goods must either be given up, by handing them over or not reclaiming them, provided the sin which is impeded is grave and the loss is slight, because the spiritual good of neighbor is to be preferred to one's own temporal good; - or the scandal must be removed by charitable warning or instruction. Once this warning has been made, if it persists, it is judged Pharisaic. But another's goods are not to be given up except with the consent of the owner, at least reasonably presumed.