25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading               Wisdom 2: 12. 17-20

Psalm                          54: 3-4. 5. 6 & 8 (R. cf. 6b)

R//: "Behold, the Lord is the upholder of my life"

2nd Reading             James 3: 16-4: 3

Gospel                       Mark 9: 30-37

SERVICE AND MEANS TO AUTHORITY REDEFINED

Dear friends, today is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), and gradually, we shall soon be drawing the curtain down on the Liturgical Year. Our lives as Christians have been met with insults and humiliation, and we are torn between two extremes — neglecting our good ways for which we are despised or stay true to our Christian principles and values. 

The first reading is from Wisdom 2: 12. 17-20. The Book of Wisdom is a Deuterocanonical book (or Apocrypha called by Protestants). It is found in the Catholic list of books in the Bible. Additionally, this book has a beautiful yet challenging setting. The life-setting of this book is in Greek culture. There are Jews who find themselves within the Greek world. We can confidently say that the book came up when the Greeks were ruling the Biblically known world at the time (333 BC - 64 BC). As a result, there will be a cultural encounter. Since the Greeks are ruling, Greek culture will portray as domineering. Indeed, some Jews would gladly accept the "New Faith" of the Greeks and despise Judaism and Jewish culture. This is a struggle for superiority. The one who stays true to Jewish culture becomes a righteous person. Certainly, there will be oppression of faithful Jews by those who have abandoned their Jewish training and Law and have adopted Greek philosophies and ideologies. This is context in which the first reading is set. 

Those who have neglected their faith as Jewish, referred to as ungodly men, want to kill the righteous man because he is inconvenient to them (or he annoys them). The righteous man does so in two ways.

The first way is that: "he reproaches us for sins committed against the LAW" (Wis. 2: 12). The Greek word used for LAW is NOMOS (νόμοσ). The Hebrew equivalent is TORAH. Torah refers to the Law of Moses, thus from Genesis to Deuteronomy. That is what the traditional Jew regards as the Word of God. Clearly, what the righteous man's life annoys the ungodly men about is that he stays true to Divine instruction. The ungodly men have no regard even for God anymore and they do not want to hear anything about YHWH again. 

Dear friends, that is what happens when we think we have found the "New Way". Influenced by the life of others, we quickly give up our culture to adopt that of others even to abandoning our source of protection, God. People move from religion to religion, church to church just because of the claim that they have found the new way, when in fact they have neglected their authentic source of religious training as Catholics. Conversely, the life of those who, amidst the trials and challenges, stay true to their faith especially as Catholics annoys us. When you defect in these times of the multiplicity of churches, you have simply given up and you have been influenced by something that is not your culture. 

As Catholics, staying true to our faith comes with obedience to what the Church upholds and teaches. Daily Masses/Services, the Rosary, meditative reading of the Bible, among many others are varied ways we can stay as true Catholics. Even in our workplaces where the good values of respect, time-consciousness and punctuality, not condoning bribery and corruption, and good accountability are changing to become vices and people are condoning them, we are called upon to be authentically Christian in these respects.

The second thing the life of the righteous person annoys the ungodly men about is that: "he reproaches us of sins against our TRAINING" (Wis. 2: 12). Interestingly, the Greek word used by the author and translated as Training, PAIDEIAS, is also translated to mean UPBRINGING. This is the education one, especially a child, receives in the home in the form of ethics and morals. These are the good values that parents and society teaches. Clearly, what the ungodly men have against the righteous man is that he stays true to human instructions and the good values of his Jewish life. He has not departed from his home education. He is solid in home education and firm in religious and faith education. 

The ungodly men have resisted their God, their religious and home education. In fact, they have lost it all. The lose of religious education provide grounds for a warped ethical and moral life. The things the ungodly men have lost, the righteous man still has them, and they are not only angry and annoyed at it, they are also jealous. This is what leads them to kill. The author of the letter of James is right then to account that, "where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice" (James 3: 16). 

The Gospel adds two details to our exposé by first saying that: "The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him..." (Mk. 9: 31). Nothing but jealousy and envy will propel this evil act against Jesus. Jealousy comes up when there is a search for power and superiority. 

The second detail is a response to this search for power. The disciples were arguing and discussing among themselves (Grk. dialegomai) about who was the GREATEST (Grk. meizon). The word Meizon (greatest) also means elder or stronger. In simple terms, superiority was being discussed on the basis of strength and wealth. 

Jesus told them that superiority is not in any of these. It is rather in SERVICE. The kind of Service he refers to is that which is exemplified in the image of a child. Remember that one of the things the righteous man posseses which annoys the ungodly men is a home education, the education given to a child. The child stands as one who receives instructions and act accordingly. The child puts aside any other instruction, be it personal or may have heard from elsewhere, and trusts that the training given by the parents is the best. He does not depart from it. 

The kind of service Jesus teaches is not one of a slave without rights, but a servant who puts aside his parochial interests to work for others. Humility is the proper way of seeking superiority and not by jealousy resulting in evil practices. Humility makes us stand as people ready to be instructed. 

Pax et Bonum