24/09/2006 - 25 SUNDAY in ORDINARY
TIME - Year B
First Reading Wisdom 2:12; 17-20 Psalm 53/54
Second Reading James 3:16 - 4:3 Gospel Mark 9:30-37
There are many ways of stealing: there are those who simply take someone else's
property, as one who takes a small bottle of perfume or a small box of candy,
from the store shelf, and hides it in her own purse; there are those who defraud,
that is, they falsify their accounting balances or increase their prices by
more than a fair profit; there are those who take advantage of those to whom
they lend money; there are those who damage public property, and deprive those
who work for them a fair and just wage; there are those who pretend to work,
thereby, deceiving their employers, and who waste time and money owed to their
employers, their own families or their community by spending it for their own
pastimes and bad habits. It's impossible, for me, to list all the possible scenarios;
that's how unthinkable are some of the ways, in which some people take advantage
of other people's goods, or of using their goods dishonestly! It is especially
serious when someone whom we trust, such as financial advisers and lawyers,
steal from us. Let's not, even, talk about the grave double sins of magicians
and fortune-tellers, who are made rich by deceiving the innocent and foolish
who turn to them because of suffering or ignorance. We, too, are guilty of theft,
though indirectly, and without being aware of it and unable to do anything to
avoid it, through the grand multinational society to whom we lend money by depositing
it in the banks and who, in turn, furnish poor countries with the raw materials,
so that they may provide finished products, for our use. Therefore, often, they
commit true and proper theft to the detriment of nations and peoples, by establishing
and imposing extremely low prices for these goods. These thefts bear the unheard
consequence of rendering entire countries as slaves. Every day, we drink coffee
and tea, we eat chocolate and exotic fruit, we dress in cotton, we wear gold
chains and jewellery covered in diamonds, and we fail to realize that, so that
we can have these and other goods at a low price, many people have been taken
advantage of and are, still, made to live in sub-human conditions. These people
have been defrauded by us! We are responsible for their misery and for the loss
that this creates, including the violence which causes the anger that springs
from within them. In order to avoid, at least in part, these grandiose injustices,
certain ethical banks have surfaced, and other initiatives of solidarity; furthermore,
the Church always proposes, through its missionaries or the Caritas, small and
large projects which favour these people. We, too, can adhere to these proposals
by making donations so that we can, at least, can justify ourselves!
"Let us test him with insult and torture, so 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." These words, from
the Book of Wisdom, had certainly inspired Jesus! They helped Him to foresee
His own future and, confidently, revealed it to His people. They could not understand
how Jesus could speak this way: He had performed many miracles, He was on everyone's
lips, and He was desired by the masses. How could He, now, avoid these people
so that He could be alone with the disciples, such as small group and, above
all, speak of such an imminent, violent death? It really was not easy to understand.
Yet, the Scriptures speak clearly, and Jesus knows that those words tell the
truth, while men's sentiments change quickly. The Word of God remains, while
the heart of man is easily confused, follows the impulses of passion and changes:
Jesus does not rely on it.
It is very true that the disciples do not understand, and don't even pay attention
to what Jesus is telling them. As time goes on, they discuss many other things,
even though they understand that their concerns are not shared by the Master.
They are yearning for grandeur. Who is the greatest among them? They seek human
glory. Jesus sits down and speaks solemnly. Did they not listen before? Now
they must treasure His words. Great is the one who is loved by God! Great is
the one who is like God! The small and the poor are loved by God, for they cannot
defend themselves: if God loves them, so, too, man must love them! Great is
the one who serves those whom God, Himself, loves! The small are great because
they are loved by God! The one who makes himself small and servant is doubly
great, because God serves him, and because he is the servant of God! The words
of Jesus leaves us open-mouthed because they change our way of thinking and
behaving, and they make us see that the world in which we live must be radically
changed. As it is, the world continues to grow in suffering, while, if we see
it as Jesus says, the suffering will be alleviated, or disappear altogether!
He is truly the Saviour, and we can collaborate with Him!
If the words of Jesus don't convince us, let us listen to James, who lists the
suffering derived from the craving of grandeur and the egoism from which it
is created. The one, who carries it with him, is not even capable of praying
adequately because he cannot encounter the God of love. He, alone, can give
us the wisdom which renders us peaceful and merciful and bearers of good fruit,
for our own happiness and the happiness of many! Will we, too, be persecuted?
First of all, let us persecute our own egoism, so that we can, also, bring joy
to a world which does not welcome the disciples of Jesus!