Readings:
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
Psalm 54:3-6, 8
James 3:16-4:3
Mark 9:30-37
The Theme of the Readings: Service and Suffering
Service and suffering are two sides of the same coin of the Christian experience in the earthly Kingdom of the Church. The Church is the sinless Bride of Christ, but the irony is that she is full of sinners in need of repentance and salvation. The faith community can be a loving family, but at the same time, it is subject to human failings like jealousy, gossip, pride, ambition, and other forms of hurtful behavior. We expect opposition and strife from those outside the faith community, but we feel betrayed when we experience hurtful behavior from our covenant brothers and sisters within the Church. Jesus experienced suffering and betrayal from many of His brethren, including one of His Apostles, Judas Iscariot.
In the First Reading, the inspired writer of the Book of Wisdom addresses the malice of the wicked in subjecting the righteous to persecution. The early Church Fathers applied this passage to Jesus and His rejection by the Jewish religious authorities who arranged to have Him condemned to death out of their jealousy. Thus, the reading from the Book of Wisdom introduces us to the theme of the Gospel Reading that is service and suffering as part of the Christian life.
In the Responsorial Psalm, despite his hardships and the betrayal of his countrymen, David, God's anointed, calls upon the "name" of the Lord God, pleading for salvation from his enemies. David has confidence that God will save his life, and therefore, in gratitude, he offers sacrifice and praise to the Lord. David's descendant, Jesus of Nazareth, was also betrayed by His friend, the Apostle Judas Iscariot, who handed Him over to the Judean religious authorities. And, even though He suffered, Jesus trusted God to preserve His life by raising Him from the bonds of death to divine glory.
In the Second Reading, St. James addresses the disorder within faith communities generated by false pride, jealousy, and selfish ambition instead of humility, love, and peace. James identifies the struggles that begin as the petty jealousies and rivalries some Christians feel within themselves, which can erupt into conflicts within the community. These battles are initiated by those who lack "poverty of spirit" (see Mt 5:2) and exhibit pride, meanness of spirit, and a lack of self-sacrificial love. Obtaining the reward of eternal life should be our goal, not worldly desires and ambitions, nor are we to be consumed with earthly worries. When those desires bring strife to the Church and suffering to other Christians, what was a wrong-directed ambition becomes a sin against individual brothers and sisters in the covenant family, and ultimately a sin against Christ's Bride, the Church.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus gives the disciples the second prophecy of His Passion, as He warns them of His coming betrayal. Then He teaches them about humility and service, using a young child as an example of the kind of childlike faith and trust required of a faithful servant of God.
Each of the readings should remind us that when we find disappointments within the Church caused by human failings, we should not blame God or His Church just as we should not blame Jesus for Judas's betrayal. Instead, we should blame sin, and we should try to restore harmony and peace by praying for those in error, praying for the unity of the Church, and praying for ourselves as the psalmist prayed in today's Responsorial Psalm: "For the haughty have raised up against me ... Behold, God is my helper.“
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
(Agape Bible Study)
(Psalms for the Liturgical Year (livingwithchrist.ca))
00:00 – Intro
00:18 – Collect
00:46 – First Reading
01:35 – Responsorial Psalm
03:17 – Second Reading
04:13 – Gospel Reading
05:38 – Recommended Videos
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