Readings: Wis 2:12, 17-20; Jas 3:16-4:3; Mk 9:30-37
Two points in the readings today always catch my attention whenever I read them. The first comes from the Book of Wisdom where the wicked are plotting against the just one. They want proof of who he is, so they contrive to test him with revilement and torture and, ultimately, condemn him to a shameful death. While some of this might give evidence of the just one’s gentleness and patience, the foolishness is that only after they have killed him will they have proof that he was who he said he was, the Son of God.
Of course, we know this reading speaks of our Lord. We also know that death was not the end for Him. So, in this case, we not only have proof of our Lord’s gentleness and patience, we also have proof of His power over life and death. He is God and He has risen from the dead. So we, who have been wicked so often in our lives, do have proof of His goodness. Of course, if it were any other just person, once the goodness of that person has been proven though torture and death, it would be too late to follow him, befriend him, or exonerate him because he would already be dead.
The other passage that catches my attention is the discussion among the Apostles regarding which one of them is the greatest. It is not so much the foolishness of the topic or even the arrogance that would be necessary to enter into the discussion, but the fact that it followed upon our Lord’s speaking to them about His passion, death, and resurrection. We know they did not, nor could they, understand the concept of the resurrection. However, to hear from your Teacher that He is going to be killed and respond by arguing about one’s personal greatness makes no sense.
We might attempt to explain this in many ways, but the simple truth of the matter is found in the second reading where St. James tells us that where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be found disorder and every foul practice. So, when we consider our own sinfulness, or wickedness to use the word from the first reading, and our own pride and selfishness, we begin to understand where many of the problems in our own lives originate.
Our pride makes us want to blame someone else for our problems instead of looking at our own self. It is so much easier to focus on someone else rather than admit our own responsibility. That said, there are occasions where we have done nothing wrong and there are people who are causing problems for us. We see this in the first reading where wicked people are persecuting a just man. However, other than Jesus and Mary, the rest of us, no matter how just we have become, are sinners who require purification. God allows some of our troubles to overcome the effects of our sins and help us grow in holiness.
It is interesting to read the writings of the Saints who address such topics. They will usually point out that these persecutions should be accepted because of our sins. Perhaps we did nothing in the present circumstances to bring on the persecution, but the way they present things, because of our past sins we deserve to be treated unjustly. This is not the way most people think, but it is interesting to note that it is the way the most holy among us think. Perhaps until we achieve this kind of holiness, we will find in ourselves the same problems that plagued the Apostles as they focused on themselves rather than on the injustice of their Teacher being handed over and put to death.
All this should bring us back to the teaching of our Lord regarding His own passion and death. We know He died for our sins. We have nothing to brag about. He came into this world because of our sinfulness and He died for us because our sins separated us from God Who loves us so much that He wanted us to be reunited with Him through His own Son’s death.
Thankfully, Jesus did not stop there. After His ascension and glorification, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. Therefore, we need to pray for the wisdom that comes from above, as St. James presents in the second reading. We need to be constant, sincere, and righteous so everything within us will be at peace and we can bring that peace and wisdom into the world.
If there is any sinfulness standing in the way of your relationship with God, admit it, confess it, and be forgiven. Receive Jesus with humility and cultivate peace by being united with Him.
Fr. Altier’s column appears regularly in The Wanderer, a national Catholic weekly published in St. Paul, Minn. For information about subscribing to The Wanderer, please visit www.thewandererpress.com.
