First Reading: Numbers 11:25-29
Reflection:
Moses was the leader of the Israelites during the time of the Exodus. After the Israelites had left Egypt and received the law at Mt. Sinai, while they were in the wilderness, the Lord directed Moses to choose seventy elders to help him lead the people. In this Sunday’s first reading, we hear about the commissioning of these elders. The elders were to gather with Moses at the tent of meeting. When they gathered, the spirit of the Lord was given to them. But two of the chosen elders did not show up. They were still in the camp with all the other Israelites. Regardless, the spirit came upon them too. As a result, they began prophesying in the camp. When notified, Joshua (Moses’ aide who would later become the leader of the Israelites) exclaimed that Moses should stop them. The reason appears to be jealousy over their special status and concern that they would take away from the authority of Moses as leader of the people. But Moses criticized the young Joshua’s response. Moses exclaimed, “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!” God shows no partiality. He wants to bestow his gifts on everyone. He wants us all to be his voice-piece to the world. In fact, by virtue of our baptism, we are all called to be prophets of the truth to a world that desperately needs to hear it.
Second Reading: James 5:1-6
Reflection:
We have heard from the practical wisdom of James for many weeks now. In this final excerpt from this series of readings from the epistle, we hear a harsh criticism of the wealthy. James is not teaching that money is evil or being wealthy is wrong. Rather, he is condemning an over-attachment to money, in which we make money out to be our god. As St. Paul wrote, “The love of money is the root of all evils.” (1 Timothy 6:10). Wealth is temporary. It can never truly fulfill us, no matter how much we have. And no matter how much we have, we can’t take it with us when we die. Therefore, we are called to be detached from our material possessions. They should never take precedence over our relationship with God and our call to live according to God’s teachings. We should never love money more than God or others. James is particularly critical of rich landowners (or business owners) who hoard their wealth and withhold proper wages from their workers. Although they live in “luxury and pleasure,” their workers can hardly live off of what they’re being paid. The message here is that wealth is meaningless, and even condemning, if used improperly. No matter how much we have, we are called to use it for good, to help others, rather than hoard it for ourselves. For all of it is on loan to us from God and we are called to be good stewards of it.
Gospel Reading: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Reflection:
This scene is reminiscent of the one from the first reading. Someone was driving out demons in the name of Jesus without the explicit sanctioning of the apostles and, like Joshua, the Apostle John was jealous and concerned. John mistakenly thought Jesus only intended to work through a select few. Rather, Jesus wants all to be his voice-pieces and work for his mission. Yes, some are opposed to Christ. But Jesus said, “whoever is not against us is for us.” And like in the first reading, Jesus desires “all the people of the Lord [to be] prophets” and for the spirit of the Lord to work through us all. The teachings of Jesus that follow in the second part of the gospel reading sound shocking, and for good reason. Jesus used hyperbole to illustrate the severity of causing one of the “little ones who believe…to sin.” All sin is serious but some sins are more serious than others. Even more serious than our own sins is to lead others, especially the most vulnerable, into sin. There are consequences for sin, the greatest of which is Hell, an eternal separation from God. Jesus emphasizes the serious nature of sin through his illustration of a great millstone being put around someone’s neck and being drowned in the sea. As horrible as that death would be, it would be better than spending eternity in Hell! Sin is so serious that Jesus says we should do whatever it takes to avoid it. While Jesus is not literally advocating for bodily harm and dismemberment, he uses hyperbole to illustrate that anything we can do to avoid sin, no matter how sacrificial, is worth it, since the alternative (if we don’t avoid sin) is eternity in Hell. Rather, Jesus invites us to pursue Heaven through faithfully following him.
Application:
- Would you consider yourself to be over-attached to money and material possessions? How have you been a good steward of the resources God has given you? How have you not? Pray about how you can better use your money and possessions to serve God and others, rather than just to serve yourself.
- Think about the sins you most often struggle with. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to avoid those sins? What steps do you need to take to run away from sin and pursue Christ?
