SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2024
SUNDAY OF THE TWENTY FIFTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
Wisdom 2:12.17-20
James 3:16-4;3
Mark 9:30-37
ACCEPTING THE CONTRASTING VALUES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE OVER WORLDLY PERCEPTION
The promises of Jesus are not at all attractive to the human mind and senses. One may become depressed to hear Jesus promise his followers the cross and not enjoyment. While the disciples were focusing on the glamour and beauty of leadership with the attendant honour and prestige of it, Jesus was giving them the opposed side and completely opposite value that he expects from them. That instead of the exercise of the powers and authority, they must be humble servants and slaves of one another. Jesus even expects them to live like children in humility and be of service to others in self-giving.
The most impressive part of this teaching is that Jesus uses his life as a model. His values are opposed to human senses, experiences and thinking. Every human being aspires for enjoyment, seeks power in leadership, wants honour and prestige, follows it with aspirations to stand tall above other. Every man wants and desires life without stress, worries and difficulties. Man wants nothing short of peaceful living, devoid of any conflict, injury and wrangling.
Man avoids any form of sufferings, sorrows and hardships. But these are the very things that Jesus prophesied about himself, promises his disciples and even accepted and lived in his life.
The prophecy in the book of wisdom, our first reading of today talks about the ordeal of the righteous man. That the righteous man is seen as a reproach to the people. His life stands in contrast to that of the world and as such there is this tension and dissension that puts him at the limelight to become victim of oppression, sorrow and intimidation. And so there is a gang up against him to annihilate him, to kill him and put him away from the land of the living. So the righteous man experiences torture, insults and all kinds of evil from his adversaries because of his way of life. This way of life troubles others, challenges them, and even annoys people which makes people to seek ways of eliminating the cause of their sorrow, the righteous man.
Going further, Jesus in the gospel, tells his disciples that he is going to experience all these prophesied for the righteous. He tells them of the impending suffering and death awaiting him. But the disciples in their humanness were never thinking of what their master was saying. They could not fathom nor understand his point of view. They were absorbed in their quest for power, prestige and honour just like any human inclination.
It was then that Jesus explains to them that the values of the kingdom of God, the values of being his disciples are totally in contrast and opposed to the values of the world and human inclinations.
First, that powers in Christ are for service. Gaining power to rule, to guide and to be above others is purposely for service of brothers and sisters. It is never intended for subjugation, or pride, or imposition, or prestige. Never!!! These values of power as service is intended for the good ordering of people and his disciples are to understand that he came also to serve. Such service is self effacing, self sacrificing and always looking for the interest of the persons being served.
Again, Jesus teaches them that anyone we desires to serve must be humble too like a little child. Humility and generosity of oneself are the keys that allows for harmony, effective service and building up of humanity. And these he came to do.
In the second reading Saint James adds to these by arguing that even the appetite in us, our human inclinations of selfishness, and great ambitions leads us to jealousy, and creates disorder in our communities, and our lives. And James urges us to shun that which causes war in society, which are our appetite, our desires and our passions for wealth, for powers and for influence.
Tuning well to the spirit of the master Jesus, we will understand that we need to get back to the spirit of Christ and reclaim the right intentions of our calling as Christians. Our calling endears us to seek the values in Christ, the values that are against the current of the human aspirations. And we must understand that Christian values endures, brings joy, happiness and peace to humanity and attends to progress.
We must not follow the current in the world but live above it and tune into the values and current Jesus offers us today.
And the values that Jesus offers us in humble service can be summed up in the motto of the Methodist church as explained by their founder John Wesley. It says: “Do all the good you can; By all the means you can; In all the ways you can; In all the places you can; At all the times you can; To all the people you can; As long as ever you can.”
Heavenly Father, you offer us today a different and opposed sets of values for our wellbeing. Help us to accept and embrace the cross, godly service with humility that yields peace, progress, love and happiness. May we shun selfishness, vain ambitions and pride. And may our lives be meaningful to you and profitable to all through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
