Scripture:
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
James 3:16-4:3
Mark 9:30-37
Reflection:
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago at Mass of a penance I often give when I hear confessions. Another penance I often give is the Third Step Prayer from Alcoholics Anonymous. I give this penance because it is a useful prayer, whether the person is suffering from some addiction or not. One of the lines in the prayer is this: “Relieve me from the bondage of self, that I may better do thy will.”
The reason I bring this up is because our Scripture readings for Sunday call attention to the “bondage of self” to which the prayer refers. In our first reading from Wisdom (2:12, 17-20), the author presents a scenario that reminds us of the Passion of Jesus: “The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training…With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.” One thing to remember is that these “wicked” are not from the pagan Gentiles, but from God’s chosen people! There are times when we Christians find the Gospel “obnoxious” to us because it challenges our comfort and our assent to the wisdom of the world.
The words in our second reading (James 3:16-4:3) are even more disquieting: “Beloved: where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice…Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask, but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Again, James is addressing this not to unbelievers, but to his brother and sister Christians! During this election season, we have intense passions on both sides, but we need to be careful about condemning others, and we need to be humble enough to recognize and repent of our own sins.
Humility is also what Jesus talks about in our Gospel reading (Mark 9:30-37). Again, Jesus predicts His Passion and death and resurrection. So, what is the apostles’ response? First, they have no comments about what Jesus tells them. Second, they argue among themselves about who is the greatest! If I was Jesus (and thank God I’m not), I would be greatly frustrated. But Jesus takes the opportunity to teach them: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be last of all and the servant of all.” If we, as individuals and as a church, wish to proclaim that we are first, we shall not get anywhere. We are called to be servants. In that way, we shall proclaim the love of God in Jesus Christ, not our own expectations of prestige.
All this calls us to humility and service, and we are called to serve even the most vulnerable and those who are not considered to be important: “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.”
May God relieve us from the bondage of self. May God grant us the grace, not to have superiority over others, but humility and the willingness to serve.
Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.