Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Thursday, 27 February
2014 - Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Mark 9: 41 For whoever will give you a cup of
water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you,
he will in no way lose his reward. 42 Whoever will cause one of these little
ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown
into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck. 43 If your hand causes you
to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather
than having your two hands to go into Gehenna,[a] into the unquenchable fire, 44
‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’[b] 45 If your
foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life
lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna,[c] into the
fire that will never be quenched— 46 ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the
fire is not quenched.’ 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is
better for you to enter into God’s Kingdom with one eye, rather than having two
eyes to be cast into the Gehenna[d] of fire, 48 ‘where their worm doesn’t die,
and the fire is not quenched.’[e] 49 For everyone will be salted with fire, and
every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt
has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves,
and be at peace with one another.”
Footnotes:
a. Mark 9:43 or, Hell
b. Mark 9:44 Isaiah 66:24
c. Mark 9:45 or, Hell
d. Mark 9:47 or, Hell
e. Mark 9:48 Isaiah 66:24
7th Week in Ordinary Time
If your hand causes you to sin … (Mark 9:43)
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus offers words of hope to repeat
offenders—that’s all of us who fall into the same sins again and again. We may
not recognize it as a hopeful word, though, unless we hit the “pause” button
right here in the middle of verse 9:43 (and in verses 45 and 47). So before
racing on to what Jesus says about amputating wayward hands, feet, and eyes,
let’s linger over that verb: to cause to sin.
In the Greek in which the Gospel was written, this phrase means
to place an obstacle that causes someone to stumble. That sounds like something
an enemy would do, doesn’t it? But as we have all experienced, we do it to
ourselves. By the way we act (symbolized by the hand), the places we go (the
feet), and the things we let into our lives (the eyes, the windows to the
soul), we often sabotage our best intentions and go astray from God’s plan.
We don’t have to remain in this conflicted state! Jesus wants us
to know the joy and peace that come from living with integrity—with every part
of us working together and open to God’s grace. Despite harsh-sounding words
like “cut it off” and “pluck it out,” he is not telling us to mutilate or abuse
our bodies. The human body is his Father’s handiwork, and Jesus spent his life
restoring people’s bodies to wholeness! Remember, he has just healed a withered
hand, paralyzed feet, and blind eyes (Mark 3:1-6; 2:1-11; 8:22-26).
So why does Jesus use such strong language? Because he wants to
jolt us into getting the message: Sin is deadly. It separates you from the love
and life God offers you. Take action! That action might be a small thing, like
cutting short a conversation that is tending toward gossip. Or it might involve
radical self-denial, a spiritual amputation that’s necessary to save a life.
Whatever it is, Jesus stands ready to help us see and do the next thing that
will bring us closer to him. Let’s do it!
“Jesus, your word says, ‘Present yourselves to God as raised
from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for
righteousness’ (Romans 6:13). Show me how to live that out today.” Amen!
James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries
that are coming on you. 2 Your riches are corrupted and your garments are
moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will
be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You have
laid up your treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who
mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of
those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.[a] 5 You
have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished
your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered
the righteous one. He doesn’t resist you.
Footnotes:
a. James 5:4 Greek: Sabaoth (for Hebrew: Tze’va’ot)
Psalm 49: 14 They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.[a]
Death shall be their
shepherd.
The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.
Their beauty shall
decay in Sheol,[b]
far from their
mansion.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,[c]
for he will receive
me.
Selah.
16 Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich,
when the glory of his
house is increased.
17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away.
His glory shall not
descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul—
and men praise you
when you do well for yourself—
19 he shall go to the
generation of his fathers.
They shall never see
the light.
20 A man who has riches without understanding,
is like the animals
that perish.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 49:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.
b. Psalm 49:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.
c. Psalm 49:15 Sheol is the place of the dead.
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