Twenty-fifth Sunday of ORDINARY TIME. 24th September 2000

First: Wis 2,12.17-20; Second: Jas 3:16-4:3; Gospel: Mk 9:30-37

THEME of the READINGS

With his person, his teachings and his life, Jesus Christ has brought about a change in our world. The texts of this Sunday’s liturgy focus on this change. The godless man who does not understand or accept the life of the upright is asked to change his attitude (first reading). Jesus’ disciples need to change their mentality before the surprising teachings of their Master (Gospel). James proposes to the Christians a spiritual plan which calls for a change in the lifestyle that they had before (second reading).

DOCTrinal MESSAGE

Changing one’s attitude. What is the godless man’s attitude towards the upright man? What is the attitude of the pagan - or of the renegade Jew living in Alexandria of Egypt - towards the Jew who was faithful to the law regulating his entire life? According to the Book of Wisdom, the godless man thinks that the upright man is a nuisance, because he is the critical conscience of one’s actions; instead of admiring and imitating him, as he should, the wicked man prefers to put the innocent to the test. He even wants to condemn the innocent man to death, contravening human and divine laws, to see whether the God in whom the innocent man trusts will protect and save him. In verses 21 and 22 of the same chapter it is added that, "This is the way they reason... they do not know the hidden things of God."

They are wrong. Their attitude does not correspond to the attitude that God wants. Therefore, they must change. The upright and holy man must be admired and put forward as a model worthy of being imitated. It is true that the faithful man challenges the conscience, but this is a cause for joy and gratitude. Why not turn to God with the trust of the upright instead of putting him to the test and even condemning him to death?

Changing our mentality. Jesus’ disciples simply cannot comprehend why their Master must go through the passageway of suffering, that in order to be first, one must be the servant of all, that in the new categories of the Kingdom of Christ the child occupies a prominent place. It is not easy for them to leave behind the lessons they received in their education as children. But if they want to be disciples of Christ, they must change. They must accept that suffering is the way to redemption for Jesus Christ and that it continues to be so for Christians. They must be firmly convinced that serving is not a favor that one does once in a while, but that it is the habitual way of being a Christian and living like a Christian. They will have to forget that the child is not important in the gathering of the elders. They need to learn that by accepting those who do not "count" - the marginalized, the weak, the needy - one accepts Christ, and through Christ one accepts the heavenly Father himself. The behavior and company of Jesus, on the one hand, and the action of the Spirit on the other, will work the miracle.

Changing our life. If changing one’s way of thinking is difficult, changing one’s life is even more so. Baptism and the Eucharist restructure us from within, pour a new way of being and a new principle of action into us. This is the basis for changing our lives. But this change requires the grace of God, human work and time for the new structures to be assimilated and to configure our behavior day after day, deed after deed. Only when we have achieved this new existential configuration is "the wisdom that comes down from above... something pure; it is also peaceable, kindly and considerate; it is full of mercy and shows itself by doing good. Nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it." It will guide human behavior in every moment. Without this configuration, which requires grace, effort and time, the old structures will continue to exist, and with them, our actions will be guided by dispute, greed, the desire for pleasure and envy. Changing one’s life is the great task of the Christian, which must be undertaken with determination and enthusiasm.

PASTORal SUGGESTIONS

Change according to God. The culture in which we live and the mentality of our contemporaries is based on change. It is easier than ever before to change jobs, computers, cars, houses or countries. One can also change one’s way of thinking and living, and even one’s religion. Change happens every day, and those who don’t change quickly are left behind. Change is inherent in progressively-minded people, who seem to have change written in their DNA. But not all change is good. Nor is all change indicative of progress. There are changes that are rather unfortunate: so it is for many emigrants, who are compelled to leave their countries out of necessity; so it is for many young girls, who are forced to sell their bodies as prostitutes; so it is for many children, forced to work in inhuman conditions or abducted so that their organs may be sold. These changes cry out to heaven for vengeance! The change that the liturgy invites us to bring about is a change according to God. In other words, it is the type of change that God wants and expects of us in order to be more human, to live out our human dignity better and more fully. The change that God wants is from injustice to justice, from abuse to the service of others, from unfaithfulness to faithfulness, from hatred to love, from vengeance to forgiveness, from the culture of death to the culture of life, from sin to grace and holiness.

Your plan of life. Every person outlines a plan of life, more or less clearly. What we want to be, to do, what values we cannot renounce, what means we will live by. I think that every Christian should have a small plan or program of life. What values am I going to teach to my children? What values am I going to fight for in my personal, family and social life? How much time am I going to devote to my mission as Apostle of Jesus Christ in my parish and diocesan community, or in the apostolic movement to which I belong? What initiative, great or small, am I going to propose to foster awareness of God, to promote vocations to the priesthood or consecrated life, to visit and care for the sick or those who live alone in my neighborhood, in my parish? It need not be a major, exhaustive plan. Make a small plan for a year, a plan that will help you grow in your spiritual life. For instance, you could devote some daily time to prayer, or go to confession more often and more regularly, or fight with greater determination and energy against some vice. Make it a plan that will keep you active in your mission within the Church: teach catechism, join the parish choir, devote greater attention to the spiritual and moral education of your children. At the end of the day or the week, reflect a little on how you put your plan into practice. A small plan can do a world of good!

Source: http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2004-05/21-13/CICLOB.html by P. ANTONIO IZQUIERDO L.C. (1948-2013)

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].