Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR B
TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY - 1.10.06
Num 11,25-29; James 5,1-6; Mk 9,38-43.47-48
Scandals & Divisions in the Assembly
Remember
& never forget!
In today’s Gospel Mark uses his harshest & strongest words As we read
them, we sense that in the community of his time there were people & groups
in bitter confrontation, who violently disagreed, excluded, rejected &
condemned, each other on issues of Jesus’ mission, as it seemed to clash with
the Jewish way of life. We know that this, also from St Paul’s letters &
Acts. The tragic reality is that we Christians of today & of past centuries,
have been & are sharply divided. Yes, the ‘Mother Church’ we so dearly
love, has always experienced violent conflicts & oppositions: east versus
west - north versus south. Christianity as a world-wide community is -even now-,
bitterly torn apart on points of doctrine & practice, among Orthodox,
Catholics & Protestants. To face all changes & challenges, we are called
to humbly re-explore, re-understand
& re-define the mystery of God, his revelation & our relationship with
him. More than ever we must respect cultural differences, promote Christian
unity & inter-religious dialogue. In today’s story, it’s John, who is at
fault & displays appalling ignorance & arrogance. He takes for granted
that Jesus will praise him, as he says” Lord, we saw a man who ‘does not
follow us = is not one of us’ working miracles in your name & we stopped
him since he is not one of us. Little does John (& all the apostles) know
that this incident will not only bring Jesus’ remark that ‘he who not
against us is for us’. But that in fact it will unleash Jesus’ harshest
condemnation, hardest sayings & strongest feelings. Woe indeed to those who
-because of our astounding & arrogant understanding of Jesus’ teaching-
end up becoming a stumbling block to any humble & sincere searcher for God.
Cut
it off!: hand, foot or eye. Today’s Liturgy invites us to compare our Gospel story with the
similar story in Old Testament, where someone tries to stop people from doing
God’s work. We have in today’s 1st Reading (Num.11,24-30): here Joshua asked
Moses to stop God’s Spirit from descending on unauthorized believers. But
Moses replied: ‘Are you jealous?.. would that the Lord let his Spirit come on
everyone of our people’. Mark goes further than Moses; he first reminds us
that Jesus said that any small courtesy (even a cup of water!) given &
received in Jesus’ name will receive God’s reward. Then he addresses the
dreaded topic of scandals in the Church. No matter how we tone down the Semitic,
exaggerated, proverbial style of today’s sayings of Jesus, Mark cannot be more
forceful in condemning scandals. He who is a stumbling block to a simple,
unassuming follower of Jesus will be severely condemned. Jesus himself chose to
be ‘least & servant of all’: & now expects us to welcome all
‘little ones’. Woe to anyone who becomes a stumbling block (Greek is
Scandal) to any of these little ones. For people such as these, the punishment
is that a huge millstone be hung around their neck & be cast in the sea.
Jesus’ harsh words press on: tear out from your very heart whatever may cause
a ‘little one’ to stumble; indeed, cut-off your very hand or foot or eye, if
these cause scandal or destruction to little ones. The hyperbolic style
continues to further explain, that it is better to enter the kingdom maimed,
lame or blind, that to be thrown into Gehenna (a word referring to the devouring
fire of Jerusalem’s Rubbish tip: see Isaijah 62,24). Today, let us pray for
our Church: let’s make reparations & ask forgiveness for wrongs committed
in & by our Church over the centuries. Let’s do this in the spirit that
moved Pope John Paul II, in his apostolate to the world.
Everywhere he asked forgiveness.
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