Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 27, 2015)

Gospel:

At that time, John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”

Gospel Trivia:

The gospel account begins with a lesson on tolerance and broadmindedness.  It is interesting that this question is brought up by John, one of Jesus closest friend; suggesting that it took time for Jesus' teachings to be internalized by his disciples.

Regarding "cutting off one's limbs and eye", this is NOT meant to be taken literally.  It is a metaphor to suggest the radical demands and costly sacrifice of Jesus' teachings.

Gehanna is an actual place; it is the valley southwest of Jerusalem where infants were offered in sacrifice to Moloch, a pagan god.  Josiah later desecrated the site by turning it into a dump site where garbage was burned.  "Gehenna" was later used as a symbol for eternal punishment.

Today's gospel is both about Jesus' radical teachings and broadmindedness.  His teachings were radical because it veered away from the onerous demands of the various laws and commandments at that time.  Instead, he went back to the fundamental demands of love and forgiveness.  Unconditional love loves and accepts all.

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), p. 74-75.

Mark 9:30-37 (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 20, 2015)

Gospel:

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Gospel Trivia:

There are two trivia in this verse that provides an important perspective: "Then he sat down, called the twelve..."

- sitting down is the posture of a teacher who is about to impart something

- calling the twelve is redundant; they are already there

This is the evangelist's way of saying that what Jesus is about to say is of great importance.  Indeed it is, because the principle of "being last to be first" and "receiving a child" is found also in the gospels of Luke and Matthew.  It became an important guiding principle in the early church, namely:

- "being last" reverses the importance of the first child in biblical culture

- a "child" does not connote "innocence" but a child is socially unimportant in Jewish society; in fact the word for "child" also connotes a "servant".

Jesus points to a radical new way of looking at leadership and authority.  It is what we now call as "servant leadership."

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988).

Mark 8:27-35 (24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 13, 2015)

Gospel:

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

Gospel Trivia:

This passage is considered the "hinge" or turning point of Mark's gospel.  Before this account, the gospel presents the power of Jesus to heal and perform miracles.  Henceforth, Mark presents that Jesus as the suffering servant, who will be "rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed."

Note that:

- Before this passage, when Jesus was performing his wonderful works, he admonishes people "not to tell anyone" about what he has done.  He did not want the role of the messiah to be associated simply with his ability to perform miracles.

- In this particular passage, Jesus rebukes Peter, when the latter objects that Jesus would suffer be killed.

Reflecting on this gospel, it is humbling to note that building God's Kingdom depended not on authority and power but on humility, service and suffering.

Other Trivia:

- "Christ" - it is not Jesus' last name.  The "christ" is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word "messiah".  The messiah is the savior or liberator of the people, and is the person chosen or anointed by God to do this task.  The messiah is expected to be likely a "king" because he is the leader of the people, and kings are anointed with holy oil.  This king or messiah will rule the united tribes of Israel after liberating them from the rule of foreign oppressors which, during the time of Jesus, were the Romans.

- "Son of God" - can refer to the divinity of Jesus, but is also another term used by Hebrews to refer to a "messiah."  Biblical scholars believe that when used by Matthew, this title refers to either or both meanings.

- "John the Baptist," "Elijah" - some believed that Jesus is the reincarnation of these powerful personalities in Jewish history.  These references indicate that Jesus was at least regarded as a prophet -- one who speaks in behalf of God and communicates his message (and not necessarily one who foretells the future).

- "Son of Man" - Jesus used the title in a general sense, to refer to himself as a member of humankind.  Thus, the verse above would read, "Who do people say this 'member of the human race' is?"  (There are, however, varying views about this title and I discuss these in the section below.)


References:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Makati: St. Paul's Publications), pp. 65-67, 213-216.

- Raymond E. Brown et al.  The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, pp. 1324-1325.

Mark 7:31-37 (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 6, 2015

Gospel:

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!”— And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 

He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Gospel Trivia:

We may think that healing the deaf and making the mute speak pale in comparison with the other more amazing miracles of Jesus; such as, the raising of Lazarus, or multiplication of the loaves of bread, or the healing of a blind man.

For the evangelist Mark, healing the deaf, the mute and the blind allude to the Old Testament belief that such miracles are signs of the coming of the day of the Lord.  

Note that Mark describes the reaction of the Jews as being "exceedingly astonished" -- no where else does Mark emphasize so strongly the reaction of the crowd.

Note also that this miracle was performed in Sidon which is considered pagan territory, i.e. non Jewish, the chosen people.  This is likely an allusion to the spiritual deafness of the Jews at that time.

Thus, what appears to be one of Jesus' common miracles conveys a significant message: the Kingdom of God has arrived in the person of Jesus, and it is revealed to all peoples (Jews and Gentiles).

We consider being Catholic as the modern "chosen people."  Today's gospel says that the Kingdom is meant for all peoples.

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 58-60.