08/10/2006 - XXVII SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME - Year B
First Reading Genesis 2:18-24 Psalm 127/128
Second Reading Hebrews 2:9-11 Gospel Mark 10:2-16
Jesus, in the parable of the sower, says that "the lure of riches chokes
the word" (Mt 13:22) and it stops it from bearing fruit. That is why He
suggests, to those who wish to follow Him, to leave everything, to sell everything
and give the money to the poor. On another occasion, He says: "I tell you
this: use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that, when it is
gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes" (Lk 16:9). The poor,
who, like Lazarus, will be welcomed into heaven, and will be friends who will
intercede for us, thanks to our generosity! Not everyone will accept these words
of Jesus: for example, "the Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this
and laughed at Him. He said to them: 'You are the very ones who pass yourselves
off as virtuous in people's sight, but God knows your hearts. For what is thought
highly of, by men, is loathsome in the sight of God'" (Lk 16:14). That
is why being rich is dangerous, because it can, even, become an obstacle to
our faith. In fact, it was the love of money which made Judas become disoriented:
"He went to the chief priests and the officers to discuss a scheme for
handing Jesus over to them. They were delighted and agreed to give him money"
(Lk 22:4-5). And we see that the increase in wealth in our communities has signalled
the abandonment of the faith by many people! A Psalm says: "In prosperity,
man is like the animals that perish"! And another Scripture says: "Many
have sinned for the sake of profit; he who hopes to be rich must be ruthless.
As a peg sticks in the joint between two stones, so sin will wedge itself between
selling and buying" (Sir 27:1-2). Our relationship with things and with
money is always a mine field: we cannot ever stop being vigilant and attentive.
Furthermore, the one who's been enriched by having obeyed Satan, will remain
his debtor! Those riches, even when they are passed down to the children and
grand-children, will always give the enemy the opportunity to intervene in their
lives! In order to resist the attraction to riches, we should be firmly anchored
in faith and in the Word of God! Jesus is always the hidden treasure, the only
precious pearl that we seek to possess, because He, alone, gives us the joy
that no one can ever take away!
In presenting Jesus to us, the Letter to the Hebrews lingers on His suffering.
He has come in glory by having experienced death, a suffering which rendered
Him perfect and allowed Him to be our guide unto salvation! We are His brothers,
though, not only, do we need to be made perfect, but we, also, need to be purified
from a long list of sins. Nonetheless, He is not ashamed of us, and He continues
to call us brothers! He, who has come in glory by dieing on the cross, takes
us on a path where we, ourselves, are obligated to carry the cross. For us,
this will always have a double aspect: it is the fruit of sin, ours and of others;
but it is, also, the instrument of redemption and sanctification, thanks to
our union with Jesus!
Perhaps, one of the ways of the cross, for man, is marriage. Man and woman quickly
realize their own incompleteness! By following an instinct which God, Himself,
put in us, each person seeks another who might complete his/her own life. This
way, man and woman become a family, a new reality which is blessed by God, Himself.
Again, Jesus repeats that God's intention is not for man to try out marital
life so that he can see whether or not a certain woman is capable of satisfying
him. God's way is not that of selfishness, but that of love. Man takes care
of his wife, and vice versa, until the end, because love is not from God, if
it is not given by one who is stable, continuous and faithful. Fidelity is expected
in good times and in bad: bad times are when one of the two succumbs to temptation
and falls into sin; thereby, converting the family to a hotel or to a hell.
This is when difficulty of the cross is at its worst; but this can, also, be
an opportunity for redemption.
The disciples of Jesus are asking for a clarification, and appear to be surprised.
The married life of Christians is different from that of others because they
do not reject the cross; but they carry it, knowing that it will make the life
of man a testimony and prophesy of God! The fidelity of one spouse to the unfaithful
spouse is, of course, a cross; but it is, also, a true offer of salvation.
After these words on the possibility that marriage can become a cross, we realize
that it is not without reason that Jesus welcomes children. Children are the
fruit of matrimony, of love. They are, also, a broadening of the opportunity
of love for the couple; they are the prize and the ulterior motive to continue
their love and their fidelity. The children of spouses who stop loving one another
are made to carry a cross which will ruin their lives, because they are not
capable of carrying it. Jesus blesses the children and, in so doing, He shows
the parents that they cannot decide their own lives only on the basis of sentiment;
but, they must, also, be faithful to the children by caring for their need to
enjoy their parents' union! When two spouses celebrate their marriage, they
dream of the joy of living in stable and permanent harmony. That is why they
declare that they are ready to suffer a little, as well; and their happiness
becomes, even more, luminous!