First Reading
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.
Second Reading
James 3:16-4:3
Beloved: Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Gospel Cycle Cycle B
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
Today’s readings can make us reflect on our own hopes for salvation and they invite us to reflect on what we think a messiah is supposed to be. So many of us Christians and Catholics have been brought up in our own faith without reflecting on it very much. We are always invited to make faith a personal and strong experience.
The Book of Wisdom reflects on what often happens when someone tries to be very good. Others don’t really believe that anyone can really be very good and so they want to test that goodness. If we can find any failure in the goodness of another person, then we can dismiss all of their goodness and not feel challenged by it.
But we should feel challenged by any goodness that we find in our world and in others. Goodness is always an invitation for us to change our own ways and to be as good as we can be. Do we really want to be good? Or do we just try to do things so that others will think good of us? Do we try to look for God’s will and really to desire what God wants of us?
Lots of us are not so very interested in what God wants of us because what God wants and what we want are not always the same. It is not even that we always want bad things but most of us don’t want to suffer much or to face difficult situations.
We see this kind of situation in the Gospel today. The disciples don’t understand Jesus when he speaks about the Son of Man having to suffer and die and then rise from the dead. So they begin to speak among themselves about who is the most important among them. What a normal human situation! We shouldn’t be too hard on the disciples. We ourselves often get caught up in useless conversations and in speaking about how important we ourselves are. We all like to feel important.
Jesus is very clear, however, that the only important thing is about serving one another in love. Are we will to suffer for one another? Are we willing to give up what we have so that others can have more? Are we will to discomfort ourselves so that others might have some comfort? These are the kind of questions that make us uncomfortable! The Gospel—our Lord Jesus Christ—invites us to live a life for others, in service to others, putting ourselves last instead of first. This is against almost all of the natural inclinations in our life and certainly against the values of our present culture.
Will we follow the Lord? Or will we end up in discussions about our greatness? May God give us the strength to follow Him with love and humility.