[00:00:05] Hello! My name is Sally Moriarty Flask; welcome to From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, September 22, 2024, the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:00:25] This week's episode is entitled: First or Last, and in these readings, we'll explore what motivates our actions and why.
[00:00:35] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
Are we fixated on privilege and prestige, or are we willing to cultivate self-control and self-discipline?
[00:00:51] So let's begin. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:00:56] Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of this day, for the gift of this time together. We ask that you help us set aside our petty competitions and rivalries, that you teach us humility and self-sacrifice. Help us to see with your eyes and to see you in every person we encounter so that we can love each other as you love us. And we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:01:32] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the scriptures.
[00:01:40] Our Gospel this week is from Mark 9: 30-37.
[00:01:48] “They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have anyone know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days, he will rise.’ But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him. And they came to Caper’na-um; and when he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the Twelve and he said to them, ‘If any one of you would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’ And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”
[00:03:01] So we pick up here as Jesus and his inner circle - comprised of Peter, James, and John - reunite with the rest of his disciples after the events of the Transfiguration. Now remember, the Transfiguration takes place on the top of Mount Tabor. Peter, James, and John go up to the top of the mountain with Jesus, and they see Jesus transfigured before them… his garments become white… he shines with his inner divinity - that shines through… and Moses and Elijah appear. They're terrified, and they come down out of the mountain, and they're trying to figure out what the heck just happened. And that's where we pick up. Now, this passage takes place on an unspecified plane somewhere in the Jezreel Valley, which is below Mount Tabor, and geographically it's about 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. That's where we start. And this section of Jesus teachings is a really intense part of the disciples’ formation. He's presenting a lot of difficult information to them, and they're just not getting it. When we went to Israel, we visited Mount Tabor and the Church of the Transfiguration, and I will include some of my pictures from that in this week's Instagram post. So, let's go back to the beginning of the Gospel…
“They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have anyone know it.” So, remember, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem and his death, and he has to prepare his disciples - as much as he can - for what is to come. And to do that, he wants to be away from the crowds so that his disciples are not distracted.
“For he was teaching his disciples.” Okay, that reference to teaching reminds us that this is a process, a continuum, not a one-and-done pronouncement. Very little teaching ever is… anyone that's ever been a student… anyone that's ever been a teacher of anything - whether it's teaching your child how to tie their shoes, or how to drive a car, or whether it's teaching a complex subject like microbiology, or calculus - nothing's one-and-done, right? It's a process… it's a continuum. If we really want to, we should challenge ourselves and continue learning, be good students, for the rest of our lives.
[00:05:38] That's a good way to keep our brains active, to keep our minds active, to keep our hearts active. So, in this teaching…
“saying to them, ‘The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and when he is killed, after three days, he will rise.’ But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.”
Now, we need to put ourselves in the story and look at this from the disciples’ point of view. This man, whom they have been traveling with for just about three years now, has predicted his Death and his Resurrection. I would imagine the disciples were a bit stunned in hearing that. What would we think if we were there? This is someone that they have shared meals with, they have shared accommodations with, they have traveled with, they have developed this very intimate, almost familial relationship… and now he's telling them: okay, I'm going to go and be killed, and then rise. Quite a stunning pronouncement.
“And they came to Caper’na-um; and when he was in the house”
That, of course, is the house of Peter and Andrew. I have pictures of that as well that will be on my Instagram.
“He asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’”
We have to remember here that Jesus already knew what they were discussing, but he asked them anyway - for their benefit, not for his, for their benefit. Again, this is another teaching moment. And how did they respond?
[00:07:19] “They were silent.”
Of course, they were silent! They were embarrassed! He's trying to present this solemn, portentous teaching, and they're off on a tangent. So, we'd be embarrassed, too. And why were they silent?
“For on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.”
Okay, it seems so off kilter, and in many ways, it is. And even though Jesus wanted to avoid crowds and to avoid distractions, obviously that didn't really help. They were still distracted… they distracted themselves.
[00:08:01] And despite Jesus dire pronouncement, they were arguing amongst themselves about privilege and prestige.
“And Jesus sat down”
Remember, sitting is a position of authority and a position of teaching.
“and called the Twelve and he said to them, ‘If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’”
[00:08:32] Now, that's counterintuitive.
[00:08:35] So I want to delve a bit more deeply into all of those concepts… the concepts of first, last, and servant.
[00:08:45] So, when we think of being first, we tend to think of first place, of being the head of something, of being the best.
[00:08:54] But Jesus turns that concept upside down. He doesn't want his disciples - or us - to adopt a false idea of authority. He says: if you want to be first - if you want to be a leader, if you want to strive to be the best - then you must have a certain way of thinking and a particular way of doing things. The way of thinking for those seeking to be leaders must be that we are the least of all, that we must consider others before we think of ourselves, that we must strive to put the welfare of others before our own… we must BE LAST… the last of all.
[00:09:46] And the way of doing things - our deeds - must put the welfare of others first… we must see that others are fed and clothed before we see to ourselves, we must see to the physical welfare of others before our own… (to anyone who is a parent - you recognize that as a big part of the job description!) In other words, we must be the SERVANT OF ALL. Countercultural! That doesn't line up with what our modern culture tells us. Our modern culture tells us that we have to always get ahead… we have to get ahead of everybody else. Instead of letting everybody else be more important, we have to be more important, we have to have pride of place, we have to have the privilege, we have to be prestigious, we have to be honored.
[00:10:41] Jesus says: no, no, no, that's not it... it's exactly the opposite. And then he gives them a concrete example.
“And he took a child and put him in the midst of them.”
Now remember, at this time, a child would have had very little importance in society.
[00:11:00] Oftentimes children were considered to be not only unimportant, but insignificant. They were sent out to work in the fields, they worked around the house, there was no real schooling as we would know of it today. So, children were - especially at a young age - children were unimportant and insignificant.
[00:11:25] “And taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”
[00:11:40] That is an in-your-face reminder that we are to accept, serve, and care for those who have the greatest needs AND the least ability to repay. Mark isn't trying to show us how inept the disciples are, but rather to remind us that we all fall victim to the same failings. And that no matter what difficulties or challenges we encounter, we can't give up. If we fall down, we have to pick ourselves up and start again. If we trip, we have to stand up and keep going. Our treatment of those on the margins of society - the poor, the homeless, the outcast, the mentally ill - that treatment is the measure of our treatment of Jesus himself. Do we want to pursue privilege and prestige at the expense of our relationship with Christ? Because that's what will happen if that's where we put our energies.
[00:12:49] Our Second Reading this week is from the Book of Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20.
“[The wicked say] Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”
[00:13:52] This section of the Book of Wisdom illustrates the contrast between the behavior of the wicked and that of the righteous. Wicked behavior would bring shame to oneself and to one's family, while righteous behavior would bring honor to the same. For ourselves, again, we can also put this in Matthew 25 terms - and compare the wicked and the righteous to the goats and the sheep… with their accompanying punishment or reward.
[00:14:31] This passage is inviting us to test which way of life we feel is best. Look at this as a question of whether we should choose to do what the world often wants us to do… or if it's wiser, better, more beneficial, to do what God wants us to do. Now the passage starts with…
“[The wicked say]”
So, we are shown immediately which point of view this passage reflects. Obviously, it's that of the wicked, so that puts everything in perspective for us. And they say…
“Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.”
Now clearly the wicked know their own faults and wrongdoings and aren't willing to have someone stand up to them and make them own up to their own faults!
[00:15:45] They are shameful people, and they don't care if their friends and families are perceived and treated in a shameful manner… and it goes hand in hand.
[00:15:57] Such people as that do not want a wise person - a just person - to oppose them, to reproach them, to accuse them of sin. In truth, a just person would not, in fact, offer public reproach or accusations. They would not call someone out in the town square for wicked behavior. That, in and of itself, would be considered shameful behavior. So, the just person would not do that. Rather, the wise and just person would approach the wicked person privately and offer assistance rather than accusation. I do, however, think that the wicked's own guilty consciences are getting the best of them here. That's what we're seeing… that's what is evident in their own words. Then they go on…
“Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God's son”
Now this father/son language was borrowed from chapter three of the Book of Proverbs, and the quote is: “My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof” and it clearly intends to capture that intimacy that's part of a familial relationship.
“if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, that we might find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance.”
So, humility and meekness - gentleness and forbearance - are viewed as signs of weakness by the wicked in this passage. But in all honesty, it really takes more inner strength to be humble and meek than it does to bluster and bully. Reading this passage through the lens of the New Testament leads us to connect this section - specifically - with Jesus’ Passion and Death… with the treatment he received at the hands of the Jewish religious authorities, at the hands of Herod and Pilate, and at the hands of the Roman soldiers. That whole idea of insult and torture, the whole idea of being delivered from adversaries, that aligns with what happened to Jesus on the Cross. It goes on…
“Let us condemn him to a shameful death.”
[00:18:50] And of course, in biblical times, death on a cross - crucifixion - was considered to be a horribly shameful death. Now, when we constantly indulge the worst characteristics in ourselves, it is so easy to spread that negativity and to drag others down with us.
[00:19:17] These words are the ultimate expression of that… it is a total surrender to cynicism, distrust, and hopelessness. And further, looking at it through the lens of the New Testament, we can and should hear the chief priests, the scribes, and the passersby mocking Jesus as he hangs on the Cross.
[00:19:47] Going even further, we really should hear the echoes of the negativity and division that is plaguing our country and our culture now. We human beings - we're better than that.
[00:20:04] We need to cultivate positivity, justice, trust, acceptance, and joy. The passage goes on…
[00:20:14] “for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”
In other words, let's kill the just one to see if God reacts. Now, I don't know about you, but that sounds an awful lot like a dare to me… like the wicked or daring God to take action. If it were me, I'd be a whole lot more cautious! I wouldn't be willing to taunt the creator of the universe. I can be foolish - ask anybody in my family, ask any of my friends - but not that foolish! Now, it's important to note, too, that in the verses that follow this passage, the Book of Wisdom goes on to say that the wicked were led astray by their own malice and that God created mankind for holiness. For holiness!
[00:21:06] Those words should serve as a reminder to us that when we do fall prey to our negative impulses, instead of indulging in further acrimony and hostility… let's take time to breathe and push our emotional reset buttons. As I just said, let's reject negativity and cultivate acceptance, justice, love and joy.
[00:21:36] We are not made for malice. We are made for holiness… we are made for goodness…THAT is what we are made for!
[00:21:47] Our Psalm this week is Psalm 54, and the response is:
“The Lord is the upholder of my life.”
And here are the verses:
“Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For insolent men have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before them. Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. With a free will offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.”
This Psalm is an Individual Lament. Now Lament Psalms have five parts, typically. The first is the Lament itself, where the author expresses the bad thing - or things - that have happened. The second is the Invocation, where the author calls upon God for help. The third is Confidence, where the author expresses trust in the Lord. The fourth part is Praise, and this can be personal or communal expressions of praise to God. And the fifth part is Petition, where the author presents his specific request to God. This Psalm, like many Lament Psalms, does possess all parts, but not necessarily in the order I listed them. So, let's identify them in the order in which they occur. The first is Invocation:
“Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.”
The request there is clear and direct: save me, vindicate me. The next is Petition:
“Hear my prayer, O God; and give ear to the words of my mouth.”
Again, very clear and very direct. Next is the Lament:
[00:23:40] “For insolent men have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before them.”
These are a clear recitation of the evil things that are happening to the author, and the reason for them: “They do not set God before them” - they don't follow God's teachings. Then comes Confidence:
“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.”
Expressing absolute trust in God, which brings us finally, to Praise:
“With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.”
Each of these sections are short and to the point… expressing pure, direct and unfettered sentiment, unadorned with flowery, flowing language. The grief is simple, the request is simple, the trust in God and the praise of God is simple. But remember, no matter how bad things get, these Lament Psalms always end with an outpouring of praise to God. So, a good reminder to us, no matter how bad things may seem at any one time - and sometimes things do seem very dark, sometimes things do seem like we're stuck in a place we can never get out of - but we can't ever give in to despair. We need to turn to God, trust in him - express our trust in him - and know that he will always be there and so, then we praise him. Even Jesus on the Cross - as dark and as dire as things became, he never lost faith in his Father and in his Father's will.
[00:25:38] Our Second Reading this week is again from the Letter of Saint James 3:16 – 4:3.
[00:25:49] “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What causes wars, and what causes fighting among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
[00:26:53] Pretty downbeat reading, overall, kind of dark.
[00:26:58] Now, this is the fourth of five passages from James. And while the passage from the Book of Wisdom, which was our First Reading, contrasted the behavior of the wicked and the righteous, this passage from James is actually doing the same thing. So, let's start back at the beginning…
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
Those are the actions of those who are wicked. Now, these could also be described as lacking in wisdom, earthly or even immoral. In other words, just like in the passage from Wisdom, each of us is allowing all of our worst qualities to rule our natures… to rule our thoughts… to rule our actions.
[00:27:55] “But the wisdom from above”
From above means from God!
“The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
[00:28:29] If I were offered a choice between the two preceding lists, I know which one I would choose. Hopefully, we would all choose the same list… the same – second - list.
[00:28:43] So James is trying to explain that the truly righteous person is inspired by divine wisdom, which shows a reliance and a dependence on God.
[00:28:57] Such people value the peace and wellbeing of everyone… be they friend or foe, family or stranger, near or far. Saint Thomas Aquinas defines love NOT as a fluffy, romantic notion, but as willing the good of the other AS OTHER. In other words, wanting the best for every single person simply because they exist, simply because they are alive. Because they ARE - they should have what is best for them.
[00:29:39] That is how we should behave if we want to be just and righteous. But that is so often where our modern culture seems to run into very serious difficulties. It can be so easy to fall into a mindset that thinks: I want what's best for me and I don't care what happens to anybody else. No, no, no! That's NOT how we should think… that is NOT how we should live… and that is absolutely NOT how we should act.
[00:30:13] We should want the best for everyone… for our kids and our neighbors’ kids - whether our neighbors are across the street or on the other side of the world - whether our neighbors are next door or in the Gaza Strip.
[00:30:32] We should want the best for everyone… whether they are our friends or complete strangers - whether they’re someone that we sit down to a meal with or someone on the street who is in desperate need of a meal. We should want the best for everyone… whether they agree with our politics or not - whether they are members of the same community or not - whether they're members of the same faith tradition or not.
[00:31:14] We should want the best for everyone!
[00:31:17] We should want prosperity, security, and peace for everyone.
[00:31:26] The next section starts with two questions…
“What causes wars, and what causes fighting among you?” (1st question)
“Is it not your passions that are at war in your members?” (2nd question)
[00:31:40] James goes on…
“You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
[00:31:55] We see that so often in today's world… in today's society. And remember, there's more than one way to kill - in this instance… we desire and we do not have, so we kill… that doesn't just mean murder! We can kill friendships, we can damage other people's reputations, we can decimate family relationships.
“You covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war.”
We see that over and over again in every major military conflict that's ever happened.
“You do not have, because you do not ask.”
[00:32:38] Or - another way to put that is - we ask for the wrong things AND we ask for the wrong reasons.
[00:32:47] James goes on…
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
[00:32:56] This is both a rebuke and a warning! And I think that all people of good conscience have to take them seriously. I have to believe that all who genuinely - and with their whole hearts - accept the gift of faith that God gives us and try to live and act accordingly… I have to believe that they truly will exhibit authentic wisdom by the type of life they lead and the way they behave. Now that might - probably does - seem to be an overly optimistic view of the world, but I'm also simply unwilling to see it any other way because I firmly do believe that as long as there is life - there is hope!
[00:33:45] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]. Thank you for listening and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain and may he hold you, safe and secure, in the palm of his hands.
[00:34:04] From His Word to Our Hearts is a production of SFS Audio Solutions. The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask. Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and used with permission of the composer. All rights reserved. Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
