Reading 1 Jas 4:13-17
Beloved:
Come now, you who say,
“Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town,
spend a year there doing business, and make a profit”–
you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
Instead you should say,
“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”
But now you are boasting in your arrogance.
All such boasting is evil.
So for one who knows the right thing to do
and does not do it, it is a sin.
Responsorial Psalm PS 49:2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11
R. (Matthew 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all who dwell in the world,
Of lowly birth or high degree,
rich and poor alike.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Why should I fear in evil days
when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?
They trust in their wealth;
the abundance of their riches is their boast.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
or pay his own ransom to God;
Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would never have enough
to remain alive always and not see destruction.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
For he can see that wise men die,
and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away,
leaving to others their wealth.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Gospel Mk 9:38-40
John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”
Lest you should land in Gehenna!
In our communities, we often serve our brothers and sisters, carrying out the tasks with diligence and generosity. However, jealousy and envy often ruin our efforts. And all the work we do ceases to be a service but turns out to be a means of affirming ourselves, our social status and our ego.
St. Mark urges his community to strive to make their lives beneficial to the community. God has endowed us with eyes, hands, and legs to perceive and assist the needs of our brothers and sisters for their welfare. Those who squander their opportunity to do good in this world forfeit, forever, the unique chance that God has presented them; they degrade themselves like garbage. In the city of Jerusalem, there was an area named «Gehenna» where all the waste and garbage were dumped to be burned. The fire was never put out and any leftover waste would be infested with worms.
The Gospel mentions the idea of mutilating hands, legs, or eyes if we use them to do wrong things or fail to use them to do good. This is indeed shocking, but it’s important to remember that it’s a call to action to cut off our negative behaviours, attitudes, lifestyles, and ideologies, so that we won’t let our lives be wasted in the garbage bin.
Let us ask, then: what is it in me that is contrary to the Gospel? What, in concrete terms, does Jesus want me to cut out of my life?
bible-claret.org Introduction
James says that we shouldn’t be presumptuous in making plans for life. Our attitude should be “if it pleases God.” Our life is fragile and depends on God’s will.
“He or she is not one of us” becomes easily an excuse for denying or belittling the good done by others, especially if they are not Catholics. Remember how before Vatican II the Church spoke of Protestants, communists, and socialists... Even today there is a certain hesitancy to recognize the good done by people “who do not belong.” And Vatican II asked us not to think merely of our inner Church interests, for it gave us the pastoral document on The Church in the Modern World. Jesus appreciated whatever good done by anyone, whether belonging to the group or not.
Opening Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
you let the sun shine and the rain come down
on good and bad alike.
Keep us from classifying people
and issuing condemnations lightly.
May we rather learn from your Son
to appreciate the good done by anyone,
whether one of us in the Church or not,
and to be united with anyone
who seeks truth, peace and justice.
For these are the works of the Holy Spirit
of you, our Father, and of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Intentions
– For the Church we love, that it may bring forgiveness and love to all, welcome all, care for all, inspire all with the gentle power of the Holy Spirit, we pray:
– For lawmakers, that the Spirit may prompt them to make good laws that are fair to all, we pray:
– For outcasts and victims of discrimination, that our communities may accept them fully and make our love so spontaneous and warm that they feel accepted, we pray
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
your Son ate with sinners and tax collectors
while the devout people of his time
blamed both him and the weak.
Accept us at his table and teach us not to exclude anyone
with a “holier-than-you” attitude.
Do not allow us to condemn
those who are different or act differently
but make us accept them as you accept us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
you have given us the privilege
to hear the word of your Son and to share his table,
not because we are better than others
but simply because you are good.
Do not allow us to become hard
or to look down with pride on others
but keep reminding us
that we are in constant need of conversion
through Jesus Christ our Lord
Blessing
We should learn to appreciate whatever good is done by whatever person. The Spirit inspires many people to do good in a variety of ways. Good for them! May almighty God bless them and you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
