A JESUIT'S BLOG
Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Thursday, February 27, 2025 - Homily
To read the texts click on the texts: Sirach 5:1-8; Mk 9:41-50
This pericope contains a series of
sayings against those who cause scandal and other to sin. Anyone who
scandalises or causes someone else to stumble is a danger to those who believe.
Jesus’ language here seems harsh, but he is not asking individuals to maim
parts of their body. Rather he is using these striking metaphors to drive home
powerfully the point he wants to make, namely: that no one and nothing must be
allowed to compromise the kingdom. The metaphors reflect how important striving
for the kingdom is. A disciple of Jesus must be prepared to forego anything for
the sake of the kingdom.
Our behaviour in public sometimes
results in leading others away from God and Jesus. Those who see our behaviour
and know that we are disciples of Jesus are not inspired to follow him. Christ
today is made visible and tangible through the words and actions of those of us
who believe in him and so we have an enormous responsibility to make him known
and draw others to him. People must be able to see him in us.
Am I a part time Christian?
Am I a fair weather Christian?
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - Do I feel threatened by people whom I think are more talented than I am? Will I rest secure in my selfhood? Will I glory in my selfhood?
To read the texts click on the texts: Sirach 4:11-19; Mk 9:38-40
John comes to Jesus hoping to be commended for stopping an exorcist who was using the name of Jesus to exorcise. In his response Jesus advocates openness and allows anyone who wants to exorcise in his name to be free to do so. Since the man is suing Jesus name, it is clear that he is not against Jesus and so will not speak ill of Jesus. Since he is not against, he is for Jesus.
One of the many qualities of Jesus that
stood out in his life and mission was the quality of openness. He was willing
to accommodate and believe even in those whom others had given up on. This is
shown in his call of Levi/Matthew the tax collector, and his reaching out to sinners
and outcasts. In our understanding of Jesus we sometimes do him a disservice when
we become too parochial and narrow-minded and imagine that he is the exclusive
property of those of us who are baptised. We communicate this attitude to
others when we reject their symbols of God and worse treat them as idol
worshippers. We are being called through the attitude of Jesus in the text of
today to make him available to all with our openness and acceptance of others
and of their way of relating to God.
Do I feel threatened by people whom I think
are more talented than I am? Will I rest secure in my selfhood? Will I glory in
my selfhood?
Monday, 24 February 2025
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 - The world seems to be saying, “If you are not No. 1, you are NO ONE. Jesus. However, is clear in what he says: If you want to be No. 1, be NO ONE.
To read the texts click on the texts: Sirach 2:1-11; Mk 9:30-37
The text of today contains the second
Passion, death and resurrection prediction that Jesus makes on the way to
Jerusalem and Jesus’ explanation of his way of life to his disciples after they
misunderstand what his kingdom is all about. In this second passion and
resurrection prediction, there is a change in the verb from the first where the
verb was the passive “be killed” (8,31) to the active “they will kill him”
(9,31)
If after the first passion and
resurrection prediction it is Peter who misunderstands, here, it is the
disciples as a whole that misunderstand because "on the way" they are
discussing who the greatest among them is, when Jesus is speaking about service
and being the least. Before his teaching on what discipleship means, Jesus sits
down thereby assuming the formal position of a teacher. He speaks first of a
reversal of positions and status in the kingdom, and then places before them
the example of a child. In the oriental world of Jesus' time, the child was a
non-person, and so by this example, Jesus derives home the point that they will
have to lose their identity, become non-persons if they want to gain entry into
the kingdom.
Authority as understood in Christianity
can never be for domination but is always for service. Management experts today
are advocating more and more the advantages of using authority for service and
leading by example. In this manner the leader can get more out of the ones he
lead than if he/she tries to dominate.
The world seems to be saying, “If you
are not No. 1, you are NO ONE. Jesus. However, is clear in what he says: If you
want to be No. 1, be NO ONE.
Sunday, 23 February 2025
Monday, February 24, 2025 - Is there something that you have been struggling to achieve but have not? Will you pray about it today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Sirach 1:1-10; Mk 9:14-29
The text of today deals with an exorcism
after Jesus has come down from the mountain of transfiguration. It is the only
exorcism story in the second half of Mark’s Gospel. The disciples are engaged
in attempting to cast out a demon, but are unable to cure the boy and the
father of the boy pleads with Jesus for the cure. However, the father's request
expresses doubt and lack of faith. Jesus responds to the father's request by
first chiding him for his lack of faith. The father responds in what may be
words that each of us can connect with, "I believe, help my unbelief."
The father of the boy includes himself in the unbelieving generation whom Jesus
has chided, but insists that even in his unbelief, he believes. Even this
inadequate faith is enough for Jesus to work the miracle. The cure takes place
in two stages. After the command to leave the boy and never enter him again,
the demon does come out but leaves the boy “like a corpse” (9,26). Jesus then
takes the boy by the hand and lifts him up, which seems to be an indirect
allusion to the resurrection.
When asked by his disciples why they
were not able to cure the boy, Jesus points out to prayer as the instrument
that must be used when we need something from God. Prayer is to acknowledge
one’s dependence on God.
We sometimes think that we are acting
independently and all that we have accomplished is the result of our own
efforts, forgetting that God is always in the background guiding our way and
lighting our path. If we ask for God’s assistance before we start a task or
even become aware of his presence in the midst of our “doing”, what we do will
become more efficacious and even effective.
Is there something that you have been
struggling to achieve but have not? Will you pray about it today?