[00:00:20] 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 29, 2024, the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:00:39] This week's episode is entitled: With or Against God? And in these readings, we'll explore the importance of the faith choices we must all make. As we journey through our readings this week, consider the following: do we prioritize our plans for our lives over our friendship with God?
[00:01:00] Let's begin in prayer.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of this day - for the gift of your word. We ask that you allow it to dwell deeply within our hearts so that we can come to know and understand your will for us and act upon it. And we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
[00:01:25] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the scriptures.
[00:01:32] Our Gospel this week is from Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48.
[00:01:41] “John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”
[00:03:01] So this passage follows immediately on the heels of last week's Gospel. Jesus is still trying to stay away from the crowds so that he can teach and prepare his disciples without distractions for what will await them in Jerusalem. As we read in the beginning, however, not all distractions are avoidable, and the concern that John raises gives Jesus the opportunity to make his very own important point about allegiances.
[00:03:33] One other note about this section. You may or may not have noticed that verses 44 and 46 were omitted in the citation for this passage, and you may be wondering why. There's actually a pretty good reason for that. Verses 44 and 46 are identical to verse 48. So rather than repeat the words over and over, most ancient manuscripts omitted them, and that practice has simply carried over to modern times. So, let's return to the beginning of this passage.
“John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name.’”
So first it's important to realize how John addresses Jesus. He says, teacher or rabbi rather than Lord. So, his focus is more on worldly things than it is on Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. So that should be the first thing that catches our attention there. Now, the concern that John raises…
“We saw a man casting out demons in your name.”
If that unnamed person was actually casting out demons in Jesus’ name, well, to me, that sounds like a successful action of a disciple who has authentic faith in Jesus. Think back to the first mission on which Jesus sent his disciples out two by two. What were they sent out to do? They were sent out to preach repentance, heal the sick, and drive out demons. So, truthfully, this man seems to be carrying out the same mission. But, John goes on…
“we forbade him, because he was not following us.”
Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa. John appears to be just a bit too full of himself, here. He is conflating the idea of us (meaning the disciples) with Jesus.
[00:05:38] James may well have been blinded by the success that the apostles had in their own missionary journey, where they went out to preach and heal and drive out demons. But he's certainly taking things a bit too far here. He forgets, or apparently forgets, that Jesus is the only true power and authority, and that they - meaning the disciples - only share in that power and authority inasmuch as Jesus allows them to. So, we'll encounter that mindset again when we get to the First Reading, so keep that in mind.
[00:06:20] “But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him.’”
In other words, to do a mighty deed or a mighty work in Jesus name is to do him honor; it brings him honor. And in an honor/shame society, that is a very important thing to do. So, the question for all of us here has to be, why would the disciples wish to interfere with that?
[00:06:48] Jesus goes on…
“for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak ill of me. For he that is not against us is for us.”
Now, a version of this statement also appears in Matthew's Gospel. It just sounds a little bit different. Matthew 12 says, “He who is not with me is against me.” So same sentiment, slightly different flavor. But again, he's emphasizing the same thing - whoever does a mighty work in my name - first of all, is bringing honor to me and to all of you as my followers but, then also that person can't say or should not be able to say anything against us afterwards. Then Jesus goes on to say…
“For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink”
Now, with these words, Jesus affirms the value of simple, humble service. Not everything that we do has to be big and flashy and mighty.
[00:08:07] Simple, humble service is good, too, and that's what Jesus is saying here. It's a good reminder to us that even a simple gesture, even a small act of kindness - maybe just a smile and a hello - has the opportunity to change the trajectory of someone's day.
[00:08:33] “Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward.”
[00:08:41] In other words, no good deed will be overlooked or forgotten. And the reward, remember, is eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. That reward can be rejected… we can turn our backs on it… but it is not earned - it is not merited - it is a gift freely given.
[00:09:05] Jesus goes on to say…
“Whoever causes one of these little ones”
By little ones, Jesus means specifically a child, yes, and we talked about that last time, that children were considered at that time insignificant and unimportant. So, yes, we can and should, in our modern parlance, extrapolate that to include the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable in society.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck”
Now, that had a whole lot more meaning for the disciples - his listeners - than it does for us. We are so much less familiar with taking our corn or our grain, that we harvest ourselves, to the local miller and having them grind that into something - into flour or meal - that we can use. But it would have meant a whole lot to them. Now, in this particular instance, Jesus is likely referring to what was called a donkey millstone, and it was so called because of its size. Donkey millstones were so large that they could only be pulled by a donkey or other beast of burden. Hence the name donkey millstone. If you would like to see an example of such a large millstone, we saw one when we were in Capernaum in Israel, and I will include a picture of one of those in my weekly Instagram post. So…
“it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”
This is important here! Drowning, in biblical times, was considered to be a punishment reserved for God's enemies.
[00:11:07] Interestingly enough, it is also a punishment for sin itself. In the book of the prophet Micah 7, it says, “[God] will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.” So, drowning - being thrown into the sea - is a punishment inflicted by God upon sin AND upon those who sin themselves and cause others to sin.
[00:11:32] Then Jesus presents three scenarios. And here's the first…
“If your hand causes you to sin.”
So, the word sin that we find here comes from the Greek word scandalazio, which literally means to lay an obstacle or to cause to stumble. That sin, or scandal, can be in the form of either a deliberate action or irresponsible neglect. So, it doesn't have to be deliberate, it can also be almost accidental, but it is speech or actions that shake the faith of others.
[00:12:18] This is a warning that each and every one of us should take to heart. It's often way too easy to fall into bad behavior, and we never know who may be a witness to our bad actions. I try to think about that, especially when I'm driving, because so many times I think I'm safe, protected, and anonymous in my own car. We can't always assume that we are safe, protected, and anonymous. Somebody in the car behind us might witness what we're doing; somebody standing on the corner might witness our reaction.
[00:12:56] Sometimes we assume that we can hide behind our anonymity - or perhaps a clever screen name on social media - to act badly on any number of platforms. We've seen that so often being reported as bullying of school age kids, and by school age - that goes all the way up through high school and into college.
[00:13:24] And truthfully, some of the things that I've seen posted by adults on Facebook, I think could qualify as the same thing. So, our challenge is that we have to stop thinking that any level of bad behavior - if it's done without witnesses - is okay. It's not! And that is a big challenge for us because our leaders act badly… companies act badly… a lot of what is considered now to be acceptable behavior is actually bad behavior. But that doesn't mean it's okay! And changing that has to start with us… it has to start in our own hearts, in our own minds, in our own actions.
[00:14:12] Years ago, I was asked to define the word integrity and the definition I came up with was doing the right thing, especially when no one is looking. And while that might seem a very simple and trite answer and a simple thing to say, that doesn't make it a simple concept to live, and I have to remind myself of that on a daily basis.
[00:14:39] Now back to scripture…
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.”
Now that seems like a really serious consequence, right? What Jesus is saying is: listen, you have a simple choice here; what are you going to do about it? Now, following those words… following “to the unquenchable fire” would have been the location of the first of those omitted verses, and we'll catch up with those in just a bit.
[00:15:16] But he goes on…
“If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.”
Makes sense. Personally, if I had two feet and I was thrown into hell, I think I'd be running for all my life, but there you have it. And this would have been the location of the second of those omitted verses. Now the third scenario…
“And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell.”
Now, what is the omitted verse? Well, here it is…
“where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”
Now, those are figurative words. There's not obviously a real worm in hell, and we have no idea if there's fire resembling anything that we would recognize as fire. We don't know what hell actually is, but these figurative words are attempting to express what we do know hell is - which is the anguish of eternal separation from God. That really is the essence of hell! Final, unequivocal, eternal separation from God.
[00:16:40] So Jesus is saying that there is no middle ground here. Everyone must choose, everyone must decide: am I going to give in to my baser impulses and sin, or not?
[00:16:55] Remember what he said earlier, too? God will graciously reward even small acts of kindness. Remember, he said, anyone who gives a glass of water to drink - a sip of water - to one of my followers will not lose his reward. So, God will graciously reward even small acts of kindness. But clearly, we are told, he will also severely punish acts of evil. And now it may seem extreme to consider cutting off a hand or a foot or plucking out an eye, but let me present you with this…
[00:17:37] A surgeon would certainly remove any of those if they were gangrenous, cancerous, or damaged beyond the possibility of successful treatment, in order to save a person's life, right? In order to save a person's physical life? Well, if we're willing to have a limb or an organ removed to preserve our own fleeting human life, the 70, 80, 90, or 100 - if we're lucky - years, that we spent here on this earth, how much more willing might we be to cast aside that thing that imperils our eternal life? So that leads us back to the question I posed at the beginning of this episode: do we prioritize our own plans for our lives over our friendship - our relationship - with God? In other words, are our plans for our brief lives on this earthly plane more important to us than God's promise of an eternal life of love and joy in the kingdom of heaven?
[00:18:52] On that note, let's turn to our First Reading this week, which is from the Book of Numbers 11: 25-29.
[00:19:01] “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses, and took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua, the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, forbid them.’ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!’”
[00:19:58] Alright, so the Book of Numbers is part of the Torah (or Pentateuch) which comprise the first five books of the Bible… be it Hebrew or Christian. Still, the first five books. Now, let me set the stage for this particular passage. The Israelites have been traveling in the desert, but by now they're tired of eating manna so they start to complain to Moses about the situation.
[00:20:23] Moses, in turn, complains to God. So, God tells Moses to choose 70 men from among the elders of the people, whose job it will be to help Moses shoulder the burden of caring for those 600,000 people in the hostile environment of the desert. As we join the story, Moses has chosen those men and assembled them around the Tent of Meeting.
“The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses, and took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon the 70 elders”
Came down in the cloud – remember, that Shekinah cloud that settled upon the Tent of Meeting in the desert? That cloud indicated the presence of God. Clouds, remember, both conceal and reveal. Sometimes they conceal. If you think of looking up in the sky, you see a cloud… you don't necessarily see the sun, but sometimes you see the revelation of the sun… you see the sun revealed by those shooting beams of light that come around the cloud. So, the cloud indicates the presence of God in the desert on the Tent of Meeting with the people. And he took some of that spirit that was upon him and put it on the 70 elders. Now, remember, 70 is a number of completeness! It actually is a result of multiplying two other numbers of completeness… 7 and 10. Seven is the number from Genesis, right? God took six days to create the world, and on the 7th day he rested. And then 10… 10 is the number of the 10 Commandments... so, 7 x 10 = 70.
[00:22:22] This is as much a symbolic number as it is an actual one. So, Moses chose 70 elders…
“and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied.”
Now, I've mentioned before that prophesying does not mean foretelling the future, which is what we would assume it to be in our modern times. But rather, and especially in this instance, it means manifesting mystic or charismatic exclamations… speaking for God, in other words.
“Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; they were among those registered”
Meaning they were part of the group of 70 elders chosen…
“but they had not gone out to the tent”
In other words, the Tent of Meeting, where Moses and the rest of the group of elders were gathered.
“and so they prophesied in the camp.”
These simple words -that simple phrase - illustrates for us that the spirit of God cannot be constrained by human limitations.
[00:23:38] Yes, God told Moses to bring the 70 elders out to the Tent of Meeting and have them gather there. But even though his instructions to Moses were not followed 100% perfectly, that doesn't mean that God still won't achieve his own ends, because – clearly - he does. Eldad and Medad were chosen to be part of the group and, by the very fact that they were chosen, they received a portion of God's spirit -regardless of their physical location. This also underscores - for us - the authority of the elders in the Jewish community, particularly this community of Israelites, as they are in the desert.
[00:24:27] “A young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ ‘
So basically, what this young man is doing is tattling to Moses! Think about your kids… if you have - if you're a parent and you have kids - one kid does something that the other one thinks they should and what does the other one do? They just lickety-split, run right to mom or dad and say: oh, look what he did. So, this man - this young man - is tattling to Moses.
[00:24:56] He has made the assumption… this young man has made the assumption… that Eldad and Medad are not following the correct ritual. In other words, they haven't been liturgically installed. They were told to go out to the desert - they didn't do it. Liturgically, that's a number I'll dwell on a little bit later. But, because they didn't follow the correct ritual, they shouldn't be allowed to exercise the same authority as the rest of the group, doggone it!
[00:25:24] “And Joshua, the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, forbid them.’”
[00:25:34] Hmm. Sound familiar? Sound like John's words to Jesus in Mark's Gospel? See, I told you that would come back in our reading here!
[00:25:48] “But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake?’”
Now, this may seem to be a strange question but it's worth examining. It highlights the fact that Moses himself had no desire to control God's spirit, nor is he particularly protective of his own status. Moses goes on to say…
“Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!”
In other words, would that the Lord God would share that authority with everyone… with everyone! Every single member of our group! Because if he did, how great a people would we be?
[00:26:37] He says the same thing, and poses that same question, to us. Wouldn't it be great if we all - each and every day - acted the way God intends for us to act? Now, I want to return - for a moment - to the idea of the elders being liturgically installed and explore that concept. First, the word liturgy comes from a Greek word, leitorgia, which means official public work or service. Now, in Greek culture that work or service would have been rendered to the city - the polis, as city is translated in Greek - but in religious terms, it means official public service to the church… or, in biblical terms, to the temple. Now, this raises a valid question. Does God really care about liturgy? It's a question that's posed particularly to Catholics, quite often. It's also posed to Jews.
[00:27:46] Well, the simple answer is YES! The Torah is filled with descriptions of HOW worship should be conducted, WHAT should be done, WHAT should be worn, WHO should have the duty of serving, HOW the service should be conducted, WHAT decorations are appropriate for the space, and so on. So clearly, yes, God cares about liturgy - but that doesn't mean he's limited by it. Everything associated with proper worship - with liturgy – matters! Whether it is colors, rites, gestures, rituals, vesture, movements… they all have meaning for us… they matter to us, and THAT'S why they're important to God. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: “we're not angels, we're human, and we need these things.” In other words, these liturgical accoutrements, they transport us - at least temporarily - out of our earthly realm and remind us that we are in the presence of the divine, just like that cloud… that cloud… Shekinah cloud…. the Shekinah glory of God - came to rest on the Tent of Meeting in the desert. These liturgical items remind us of God's presence. In his book: On Liturgical Theology, 20th century theologian Aidan Kavanagh wrote: “A people's liturgy, like the people themselves, does not wait upon absolute certainty. Standing before the living God is a risky business. People dare to do so not because they are irrational, but because they have found it plausible that they, like others before them (even Moses), might do so without actually being incinerated.” Light hearted! Kavanagh usually is… but under that lightheartedness is a solid, granite, stone of truth.
[00:30:15] And he goes on to say: “faith is carried on not by concepts and propositions nearly so much as in the vastly complex vocabulary of experiences had, prayers said, sights seen, smells smelled, words said and heard and responded to, emotions controlled and released, sins committed and repented, children born and loved ones buried, and in many other ways no one can count or always account for.”
[00:30:58] I love those quotes - and I love Kavanaugh - because he is so down-to-earth and straightforward and, at the same time, he really captures the importance of the human experience of liturgy. THAT is why liturgy is important to God - because he knows WE NEED IT. He knows that it's way too easy for us to argue with our family on the drive to church, walk in, and then just continue with that mindset. No! No, no, no!
[00:31:31] When we cross that threshold, when we enter those doors and step into the sacred space, we should be reminded - as soon as we step inside - that we are in the presence of the divine, and every other earthly concern should fall away.
[00:31:57] Our Psalm this week is Psalm 19, and the response is:
“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.”
And here are the verses:
[00:32:08] “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern his errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.”
[00:32:50] This Psalm is a Wisdom Psalm, and clearly it pairs well with the Gospel and the passage from Numbers, because there's such an emphasis on the goodness of God's law as well as gentle reminders to God's people, be they the chosen people - the Israelites - or the rest of us, that we must follow God's law according to his intent, not ours.
[00:33:20] We must follow his laws so that we are preserved from sin and that we remain blameless. Now the last words there be “innocent of great transgression” - that means… yeah, we can sometimes do small things unintentionally… and we have to be wary of that. But if we follow God's law according to HIS intent, we will be preserved from great sin, from great transgressions.
[00:33:58] And that leaves us with the reading from the Letter of Saint James 5: 1-6.
[00:34:06] “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not resist you.”
[00:34:59] Again, a very dark and dire passage from James. Now, this is our 5th - and final - passage from that Letter, and it is from the final chapter of the Letter, and it essentially renders judgment upon the rich who have CHOSEN to ignore all of the other warnings and advice that James has already offered them in this Letter. So, let's break that down.
“Come now, you rich”
Again, it's obvious whom he is addressing! And he tells them…
[00:35:35] “weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.”
[00:35:40] You should hear - in those words - echoes of the description of hell that we heard in Mark's Gospel.
“Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.”
Now these words are symbolic, of course, because gold and silver don't rust. But when the rich experience loss or ruin, then the result will serve to fulfill this prediction, to illustrate the clear and patently wrong choices made by the rich, in spite of all the dire warnings they were given.
[00:36:29] James, remember, talks about actions and that actions have consequences. So that also means, by extension, that inaction has consequences.
[00:36:43] He goes on…
“You have laid up treasure for the last days.”
The rich that have ignored every scriptural instruction - found in both the Old Testament and the New - who have done that to suit their own earthly wants and desires: “you have laid up treasure for the last days.” The last days on earth, rather than - as Matthew 6 says - storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
[00:37:12] “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.”
In other words, the cries of everyone that you have defrauded, everyone you have cheated or swindled, have reached God's ears. What you do does not remain hidden! You are not anonymous! Your actions are not anonymous… nor protected by anonymity… because God sees them.
“You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”
To put it another way, you have wallowed in self-indulgent behavior and ignored the responsibilities that you clearly have to those that depend upon you.
[00:38:05] “You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not resist you.”
So - you rich - you have falsely condemned those among you who are just, those who live according to God's law, so that their righteous actions will no longer expose your faults and make you feel guilty for your bad actions. James’ words condemn all who presume to make their own earthly plans more important than God's will and more important than their relationship with him. The actions described in those three sentences: defrauding, being self-indulgent, being condemning - those exemplify the means by which the rich have chosen their own comfort in this world… their own status, power, and influence in this life… over friendship with God. Remember, that was the question I posed for our consideration as we went through these readings: do we prioritize our plans for our lives over our relationship with God? So, that should serve notice to all of us. We must take responsibility for ALL of our actions, be they good or evil.
[00:39:17] Now, does that mean that all rich people are selfish, self-indulgent, fraudulent, and abusive? No, of course not. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that: “wealth, as such, is not evil, for it is simply the means to acquire the goods of this world, which are, to some degree, necessary for human well-being.” So, that should clear up the notion that wealth - in and of itself - is bad. Wealth, in and of itself, is not evil - it's what we do with it that really matters. So, if we allow that wealth to rule us - if we allow it to become a substitute for things that ARE truly more important - things like family, friends, joy, love, peace, justice, and especially if we allow it to become a substitute for God, well, that's when we face real, eternal, spiritual danger.
[00:40:12] 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 hand.
[00:40:30] From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions. The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask. Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
[00:40:46] Information regarding references used in preparing the excesses for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
