Commentary on the Readings for Sunday – September 20, 2009
The 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The theme of the Readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time contrasts selfish ambition with humble service. We are all somewhat guilty of the first and shy away from the latter. In our culture today ambition is thought of as something to be encouraged and emphasized, and to a degree it is. On the other hand, humility and service to others has become almost foreign to our vocabulary. However, in today’s Readings, the writer of the Book of Wisdom and the Apostle James characterize “selfish ambition” as the cause of disorder and discontent. To offset this, Jesus offers the noble virtues of humility and service and He Himself becomes the ultimate example of both.
The First Reading is from the Book of Wisdom (2:12 – 20). The Book of Wisdom, as should be expected, discusses all that is virtuous and, in the process, may contrast it with that which is evil. In this passage, which appears to be a direct prophesy of the life and death of Jesus Christ, the wicked assume that their actions will be the end of their intended victim, but their last words are the only part of their plan that is true: “God will take care of Him,” and He did, by the Resurrection.
The Responsorial Psalm is (54:3 – 8). This psalm is the prayer of a virtuous man who implores God to give him the strength to hold out until the end. Could this not be a prayer that Jesus might have offered during His prayer time in the Garden of Gethsemane on that fateful night?
The Second Reading is from the Letter of St. James (3:16 – 4:3). This passage could be considered as a commentary on the world-wide strife that exists today. So what is the answer? The only answer is that each person must look at his or her own actions and motivations and weed out all selfish ambitions. The beautiful song ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ says it all with the right answer: “….and let it begin with me.”
The Gospel Reading is taken from the Gospel of Mark (9:30 – 37). In this part of Mark’s gospel, Jesus is preparing the apostles to carry on His mission after He is gone, but He finds that they still do no understand the message about humility and service. He calls a little child into their midst and using the image of a child He says that we must all be like a child. He was not suggesting that we go back to a lack of experience or be ‘childish’. In Jewish culture of that time period children were considered to have no status or rights or be worth of recognition. In other words, they were pure examples of humility.
Humility is not the same as timidity or lack of self esteem. A very gifted person or a person who is generous with his or her time and talents can still be humble when they recognize that all that they are and all that they have come from God in some manner, perhaps through parents or teachers. Also, they are grateful to God for the blessings they possess and use their gifts for His honor and glory. So, after reading the scriptures for this Sunday, we should be challenged to consider our own thoughts, actions and speech to see how they measure up to the what God is asking of each of us and, if they don’t, what do we plan to do about it? Something to think about during your Prayer Time this week!
If you have comments or questions regarding the above, please put them in writing or e-mail them to the parish office. We will try to respond as quickly as possible.
MFB
SUNDAY COMMENTARY – SEPTEMBER 20, 2009
Commentary on the Readings for Sunday – September 20, 2009
The 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The theme of the Readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time contrasts selfish ambition with humble service. We are all somewhat guilty of the first and shy away from the latter. In our culture today ambition is thought of as something to be encouraged and emphasized, and to a degree it is. On the other hand, humility and service to others has become almost foreign to our vocabulary. However, in today’s Readings, the writer of the Book of Wisdom and the Apostle James characterize “selfish ambition” as the cause of disorder and discontent. To offset this, Jesus offers the noble virtues of humility and service and He Himself becomes the ultimate example of both.
The First Reading is from the Book of Wisdom (2:12 – 20). The Book of Wisdom, as should be expected, discusses all that is virtuous and, in the process, may contrast it with that which is evil. In this passage, which appears to be a direct prophesy of the life and death of Jesus Christ, the wicked assume that their actions will be the end of their intended victim, but their last words are the only part of their plan that is true: “God will take care of Him,” and He did, by the Resurrection.
The Responsorial Psalm is (54:3 – 8). This psalm is the prayer of a virtuous man who implores God to give him the strength to hold out until the end. Could this not be a prayer that Jesus might have offered during His prayer time in the Garden of Gethsemane on that fateful night?
The Second Reading is from the Letter of St. James (3:16 – 4:3). This passage could be considered as a commentary on the world-wide strife that exists today. So what is the answer? The only answer is that each person must look at his or her own actions and motivations and weed out all selfish ambitions. The beautiful song ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ says it all with the right answer: “….and let it begin with me.”
The Gospel Reading is taken from the Gospel of Mark (9:30 – 37). In this part of Mark’s gospel, Jesus is preparing the apostles to carry on His mission after He is gone, but He finds that they still do no understand the message about humility and service. He calls a little child into their midst and using the image of a child He says that we must all be like a child. He was not suggesting that we go back to a lack of experience or be ‘childish’. In Jewish culture of that time period children were considered to have no status or rights or be worth of recognition. In other words, they were pure examples of humility.
Humility is not the same as timidity or lack of self esteem. A very gifted person or a person who is generous with his or her time and talents can still be humble when they recognize that all that they are and all that they have come from God in some manner, perhaps through parents or teachers. Also, they are grateful to God for the blessings they possess and use their gifts for His honor and glory. So, after reading the scriptures for this Sunday, we should be challenged to consider our own thoughts, actions and speech to see how they measure up to the what God is asking of each of us and, if they don’t, what do we plan to do about it? Something to think about during your Prayer Time this week!
If you have comments or questions regarding the above, please put them in writing or e-mail them to the parish office. We will try to respond as quickly as possible.
MFB