ME
NU

OMELIE / Omelie EN

23 set 2018
23/09/2018 25th Sunday in O. T. - B 

23/09/2018 25th Sunday in O. T. - B 

Reading 1, WIS 2,12.17-20 * Psalm 53 * Reading 2, JAS 3,16 - 4,3 * Gospel, MK 9,30-37

 

Today’s gospel provides us with two important teachings, while the first reading is a comment to the first and St. John’s letter to the other.

Jesus wants to keep for Himself some moments of solitude with His disciples in order for Him to be able to tell them in advance about His passion, preparing them to the great changes in their life. How is it possible that Jesus is already aware of what is going to happen to Him? He has been reading in the prophets and in the other sacred books that the upright, the friend of God’s, will have some enemies, he will be condemned, he will have to suffer and die, but also that he will be supported by the Father’s power. The passage from the book of Wisdom (first reading), seems to show as a photo of what Jesus’ enemies will plot against Him: “Let us condemn Him to a shameful death; for according to His own words, God will take care of Him”. He knew about these words, He knew that the Scripture is God’s word and that He had offered Himself to live it; therefore, He does not hesitate to tell His disciples that He was going to be handed over, killed by men, but also that “three days after His death the Son of Man will rise”.

The disciples react with silence. They cannot take seriously their Master’s words. They think that these happenings would be impossible, and they do not prepare for them; they are speechless, they do not try to go deeper in this revelation. It is about the most important events in history, but they are concentrated on something else. Their interest is focused on other topics, blinded as they are by their mistaken understanding of God’s kingdom that the Lord was going to build. They are thinking of the kingdom like an earthly kingdom, in which there is the need to assign power roles of great importance! They are normal men, exactly like all men of all times! And myself, I am not different from them.

While Jesus is talking about His death and of the divine intervention of the resurrection, they stand firmly by this earth, where what really counts is to be valued by others, to be admired and honored by men. This brings back to my mind words heard among priests or faithful, I remember people being offended, because they felt neglected or forgotten, other people suffering of jealousy because they are under the impression that someone else has been preferred to them. I also remember the “fear” or nervousness that take me sometimes, when I am about to start preaching, because I think that somebody could judge me or think that I am ignorant and incompetent!

Those seats among men! Like God’s kingdom was men’s kingdom. By grace God’s kingdom is God’s kingdom. In it the only judge is God, the Father, who loves everybody, but He concentrates His attention in particular on the little ones, on the forgotten ones, on the weak, on whoever suffers because he has been left behind. In the kingdom of God the judgment of God has value. And God judges favorably who makes himself last by his own accord, who serves the others, because this type of love is that which is most similar to His, even better, it includes it. In order for the disciples not to forget this teaching, we see Jesus putting a child at the center of the attention. The child needs attention, because he is little. A servant is great when he can serve a great person. For Jesus the child is important. To be the servant of a child “in the name of Jesus”, this is the way to be the first, to enjoy the first seat. This is the place of Jesus Himself, that has made Himself servant of the sinners, He humbled Himself to help up again whoever has fallen in the depth of sin.

The apostle John echoes this teaching of Jesus’, He who is equipped with experience and remembers the teaching of the Lord. He sees that the desire to be great fosters jealousy, and the latter, then, disorder and bad deeds; the ambitions and envies provoke dissatisfactions, quarrels and fights. The Christian then goes in search of the wisdom coming from above, that is pure, peaceful, meek, ready to surrender, merciful. How beautiful is to meet people that welcome this way to behave! There are so many among Christians. Among us there are people that have taken into no account an inheritance rather than quarrelling with their brothers, people that have accepted to be demoted in their job rather than speaking up against colleagues or superiors, people that have let others step on them rather than being unfaithful to their spouse or their family. Obedience to Jesus and the imitation of His meekness and humility produce beautiful people, saint, joyful, that are hidden from the superficial eye, but who attract to their environment grace, peace, light, serenity, concord and health.

Today I ask the Lord Jesus to give to me too this wisdom of His, and I ask it with deeds out of humility and will to serve.