Sunday, Sept 20th Scripture Reflection

September 20, 2009 - Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Liturgical Year B, Cycle I

First Reading: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 54:3-4, 5, 6-8

Second Reading: James 3:16-4:3

Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

These readings can be viewed at http://www.usccb.org/nab/092009.shtml.

Reflection on the Readings

Ever find yourself in the middle of a book, sporting event and/or movie, and find that the pace moves slowly and gets boring? As we enter into our Gospel reading for this Sunday, we find ourselves in the middle of the Gospel of Mark, and it will be important for us not to allow ourselves to get caught up in the apparent slowness of the story. The Lord, along with His followers, continues to walk through the countryside teaching and healing those He meets. But in this Gospel, instead of preaching to the masses, He has pulled aside those closest to Him to give them not only some special instruction, but a terrifying prediction of the future. He tells them that He will be handed over to men to be killed. Imagine the thoughts that ran through the disciples heads: How does He know this? Isn’t He the Messiah, can’t He avoid this? Isn’t death the end of a false prophet? Can I really trust Jesus? Am I willing to die with Him and for Him?

This prediction must have left the disciples extremely nervous about following Jesus. Notice that Jesus adds a very strange addition to the His death: After three days He will rise. You and I have the blessings of 2,000 years of Church teaching to look back on Jesus’ words and know clearly that He was talking about His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The disciples did not understand Jesus’ statement, and were afraid to ask Him what He meant. They were afraid because He was telling them about an upcoming violent murder. They didn’t want any more information because it might involve them.

Naturally, this prediction led to all kinds of conversation among the disciples, and by the time they got to their point of arrival in Capernaum, their discussion had become an argument. When Jesus asked them what they were arguing about, it wasn’t because He was lacking information, it was because He wanted them to admit to Him what the problem was. Notice that they remained silent – none of them were willing to admit to Jesus their conversation because they didn’t want to be shamed. Their arguments were centered around which of the Twelve would be the greatest. The root of this was their pride, and their silence shows that Jesus saw right through them. Jesus’ response illustrates to us God’s ‘upside-down’ principle: God works in a contrary way than to the way we would first expect. It is not through power that we become strong, but through weakness. It is not through having all the answers and being the most successful that makes us right in God’s eyes: It is through recognizing our immaturity and dependence on the Father for everything that will make us the people He intends us to be. Service and humility, not our individual skills, are the keys to success in the Kingdom. We cannot get to heaven on our own power, but only through God’s grace. Allowing God to touch and change our lives requires tremendous trust on our part. It calls us to give Him our lives completely, as a little child trusts his parents. Jesus invites us to childlike trust, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

May we have the ability to give our lives over to God totally, and may others see the unconditional love God has for them through the way He touches our lives.

Reflection and Journal Questions

1. Describe the arguing among the disciples. Recreate what they would have said to each other. What did they say to each other? How did the discussion escalate into an argument? What emotions would have been running through them? How was Jesus able to stop the discussion and refocus it on the right issue?

2. Who has been an example to you of self-less service to others? Describe what makes their actions an example of giving. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, rate how well you serve others?

3. How have you seen God’s ‘upside-down’ principle at work in your life? Describe.

Power Verse to Memorize

James 3:16. Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.