Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 146

Reading I

Is 53:10-11

The LORD was pleased
    to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
    he shall see his descendants in a long life,
    and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction
    he shall see the light in fullness
        of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
    and their guilt he shall bear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

R. (22)    Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
    and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
    of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
    upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
    and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
    who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
    who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

 

Reading II

Heb 4:14-16

Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, 
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin. 
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

 

Alleluia

Mk 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel

Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 
He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?" 
They answered him, "Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." 
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. 
Can you drink the cup that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 
They said to him, "We can." 
Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared." 
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. 
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt. 
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. 
For the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

 

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. He was handed over as an offering for of our sins so that we may receive eternal life. It is through Him that our sins are forgiven and that we can receive redemption by accepting what He has to offer. Through His selfless act we are given a vision of how our lives should be led: Through the example of Jesus Christ. We are all offered a cup that Jesus accepted. This is a cup of persecution and suffering. It binds us together as Brothers and Sisters through Jesus Christ. To suffer is what it is means to be a Christian. The more we suffer the more we will be able to encounter Jesus Christ because he is with us in our suffering, being present to ease our pain. With Jesus there is constant joy whether we are experiencing good times or bad time. We will always get through things only to encounter other things. Good or bad doesn’t matter. Jesus is the constant. If He is recognized all of it becomes the same.

 

There is no reward in suffering. There is no reward in the good acts that we do as a reaction to Jesus’ presence. There is no trophy for doing the right thing. What we do get is an experience of how life should be and a glimpse of The Beatific Vision of God. Things tend to fall into place when Jesus is added to the equation. It doesn’t matter what we want, only that Jesus is there to walk with us as we face what we face. In society there are expectations of reward for hard work and a job well done. This is part of the system that has been employed in the world of man and has slowly drawn us away from God. We put in a hard day’s work and we get paid for our labor. We do a favor for a friend then we are owed something in return. If we are aggrieved, then someone owes us something for our pain and suffering. If we do good, then we get recognized. “Not so!” says Jesus. We need to accept what is given to us freely with no demands, be it good or bad. We need to give everything when asked with an expectation of nothing in return. This puts us above all that this life can offer and lifts us up into a beautiful spiritual experience. We can shed the shackles of this earth and enter into a deep relationship with God, uninhibited by the material wealth that surrounds us.

 

Jesus Christ reminded us in the Gospel Reading last week to, “Store up treasure in heaven.” This requires a focus on the eternal and what that will bring us when we embrace suffering as well as joy with the same attitude. Nothing will be able to phase us if we keep that in the forefront of our thoughts. James and John had a problem understanding this. Their greatest asset, passion and vigor, was also their greatest impediment to understanding what Jesus was trying to say. They felt that their work needed to be recognized in this life and the next. There was a need for reward. Their sacrifices were romanticized and with that came a wanting to be elevated to a status above all others. Jesus responded by telling them to be lowly and humble. It was the way to fully experience God: no reward and no glory. Glory is reserved for God alone. What we say and do on this earth is nothing more than what we are expected to do in reaction to our relationship with Jesus Christ. If we find ourselves struggling with this, it is because earthly desires are creeping in and our relationship with Jesus has been compromised by earthly desires.

 

Just as Jesus came to serve and not be served, we are expected to do the same thing. Christianity is the only place where being a slave is a desired position. Giving ourselves to the service of others is an expectation with the returns so much more even if they cannot be realized in the material sense. When you take out the material there is an opportunity for love to flow in. It is in that love that the presence of God is realized. Each moment becomes unique and wonderful. Just as in the life of a slave, things might not be as we want it some of the time. This should be understood and expected. We might become frustrated and overwhelmed because of it, but God can relieve these negatives emotions if we ask Him to so that we might continue to do the work that is expected of us. With Him the negative can be forced out and only the positive will remain. It is through Him that even the most imperfect situation can become perfect.

 

None of us are unique or special. Jesus can relate to any problem or situation that we can encounter. He has already been there and done that. This enables us to have the opportunity to know Him better through our experiences. We will be able to feel His presence and understand that we will be okay if we stay with Him. He will be along for the ride and will take the wheel when necessary if we permit Him to do so. We must truly let go and let God. It may be difficult in the beginning to live a life of service and suffering but when we start to feel the changes in ourselves as a result and feel the presence of Jesus in everything that we do, it will become inevitable that we will realize that it is worth it.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 143

Reading I

Wis 7:7-11

    I prayed, and prudence was given me;
        I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
    I preferred her to scepter and throne,
    and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
        nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
    because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
        and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
    Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
    and I chose to have her rather than the light,
        because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
    Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
        and countless riches at her hands.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R. (14)    Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
    that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
    Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
    that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
    for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Let your work be seen by your servants
    and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
    prosper the work of our hands for us!
    Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Reading II

Heb 4:12-13

Brothers and sisters:
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.

Alleluia

Mt 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel

Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? 
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother." 
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!" 
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. 
All things are possible for God." 
Peter began to say to him,
"We have given up everything and followed you." 
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

God has given us a promise. He will always be with us. We have the capability to be enveloped in His presence inwardly and outwardly. Our soul can be intertwined with Him and held in His embrace. His love can fall down upon us like pouring rain. When we pray, He will answer us. When we cry out His name, He will respond. With God comes wisdom and an understanding of how things work. What we thought we knew can be replaced by a truth which rises above the confusion and calamity that defines the world of man. What befuddled us before can make complete sense through God.

 

As human beings we will always be limited in some way regarding our knowledge and understanding of things. There is no way that all the mysteries of the world can be unraveled. Some things were meant to be above our understanding. Yet, because of our arrogance, we find ourselves continuously trying to conquer things that were not meant to be conquered and to control things that were not meant to be controlled. This arrogance leads us as a people to strive for a greatness that we cannot ultimately achieve. Once a mountain is climbed, another mountain challenges us. The mountain range is endless because the wisdom of the universe, coming from God, is endless. Focusing on this quest for greatness brings no real relief or satisfaction. Even though this driving force had led humanity to do great things it prevents us from realizing our greatest potential, which can only be achieved through God. Becoming familiar with God leads to greater knowledge and understanding of things around us, while also relieving us from the endless drive to success which is often an impediment to a joyous life. Without God all that we try to build and succeed amounts to nothing.

 

History is invaluable to any culture. In it can be found many answers to where things have been done right and where things have been done wrong. One of the most startling things that it reveals is that anything created by us does not last forever. It doesn’t matter if it is considered a great achievement or not. Things that have its origin in the physical world eventually crumble and fade away. Things that come from God, on the other hand, always remains. Nothing can oppose that which comes from God including the wisdom and enlightenment that He offers. Society may offer enticing enrichments and things that stimulate our senses but that is only for a moment. A moment does not last forever and is soon gone. An expiration date is always facing something that has been forged by human hands. When we let God in, it means that we have embraced the eternal and acknowledged that it is far superior to what we have chosen in the past, thus what we receive from that choice will have much superior results also.

 

The reading from The Book of Wisdom today displays this comparison. Praying to God brings about more than anything a life without Him can offer. A comparison of all things between Him and what the world offers will be seen. There is an obvious void present without God that cannot be filled. When God becomes the foundation in our lives it will then be impossible to envision or live a life without Him. Fulfillment and satisfaction become a reality. The Letter to the Hebrews mentions that, “The word of God is living and effective.” There is no way that it will not have an impact on us. When we accept Him we will feel the results. When He is rejected the impact will also have its own results as all of us can probably testify to, drawing from an experience or two from our past. I myself can say with certainty that both roads have been tested and the superior one is obvious.

 

The interaction between the rich man and Jesus indicates that, with God, there really is nothing else needed in this world to live a joyous life. The Commandments are merely guideposts; rules that are willingly followed as a result of walking with God. Following them are not a burden themselves. The challenge is the understanding that God is everything and all other things are secondary; being of no consequence. The possessions that we might have, the things that we have built, and the life that we might have created amount to nothing. When you place these things on a scale against what God has to offer it will always tilt in favor of God. Mere things are just that: mere things. They can serve a purpose but then, when that purpose is done, they have lost their value. The only real value they had in the first place is the importance that we placed in them.

 

The value of something can be determined by how much something is desired by an individual. The more someone wants something then its value increases. If more people want the same thing at the same time then arguably its value becomes even greater. The foolishness of our behavior by placing value in things that are of no real consequence can be demonstrated in the phenomena of Cabbage Patch Kids, Beanie Babies, Furbys, the new I-Phone, Air Jordans, and more. In the end the value fades away, things get old, and things break. Jesus offered a choice to the rich man. He could focus on the I-Phone or he could focus on that which had eternal value. We have been given that same choice with full knowledge of the result.

 

Jon Pedley lived the life of a swinging millionaire until an alcohol-fueled car accident in 2002 left him comatose and on the verge of death. Miraculously, he survived, and soon experienced a profound change of heart. The UK millionaire—who indulged in alcohol, womanizing, and other vices—later found God and was inspired by the charity work of his friend in Uganda.

 

He decided to emulate his friend, and literally gave it all away in 2010 as he sold his $1.5 million farmhouse and businesses. Pedley then used the proceeds to move to a mud hut in Uganda and start a charity for local orphans. The charity wasn’t only for the local children, either—British children with a troubled past were also sent there to help the locals and ultimately help themselves. For Pedley, it was a cathartic release from his once-decadent lifestyle—he remarked that “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life” when asked if he really wanted to go through with it.

 

Yevgeny Pushenko had a good thing going for him back in the 1990s. The Soviet Union had just broken up and people were free to pursue their dreams. For Pushenko, that freedom enabled him to construct a clothing factory in his hometown of Vladivostok. Soon, business was booming and he had 50 factory workers at one point. However, Pushenko felt empty. Until then, he had not really practiced his faith as an Orthodox Christian, which was suppressed for so long by the authorities.

 

It wouldn’t be long before he met his friends over vodka (of course) and handed them the keys to his factory. His shocked friends found out the reason from his parents the next day: He wanted to be a monk and do a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. For three years, Pushenko walked 15,000 kilometers (9,320 mi) through several countries until he finally reached his destination. Pushenko endured many trials during his journey, from battling extreme weather to fending off suspicious authorities, but remarked that his faith kept him going. After he had finished his pilgrimage, Pushenko renamed himself Athanassios and retired to Mt. Athos in Greece, where he has since resided at a monastery.

 

There are countless more stories where people have been given the same choice as the rich man in the Gospel Reading and did exactly as Jesus said: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." So many have done just that without any accolades, awards, or fanfare. It was a response to a higher awareness and understanding of God. God called and they responded. They prayed and God answered. They were enveloped in His presence. All of us have that opportunity to face that destiny and to make our way through the debris of this world and into The Light of Christ. That is where the true presence and Love of God resides: in understanding Him and receiving what He wants to give us.

 

Deacon Tom