09.27.12~Catholic Matters for Sunday September 30, 2012

SUNDAY READINGS - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time FIRST READING: Numbers 11: 25-29. The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did so no more. Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses. "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, forbid them." But Moses said to, him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!" EXPLANATION: Moses, appointed by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, found this task more difficult as time went on. Three days after setting out from Mount Sinai---where they had spent some years. and notwithstanding that God had provided them with water and food in the form of manna, the people "set up a lament that was offensive to Yahweh's ears." They blamed God for bringing them out of Egypt, where they had fish to eat as well as melons, onions and garlic, here in this desert they had none of these things---only the monotonous manna! Moses appealed to God saying he alone was unable to manage such a mass of people. God heard his plea and told him to select seventy elders---experienced men from among the tribes, whom God would appoint as leaders of the people under Moses. Moses selected the seventy men and brought them to the tent of Yahweh. There God gave them part of the spirit of Moses and they began to prophesy---a sign to the people that God had appointed them as his representatives. At the same moment, two other men who had not come to the tent of Yahweh received the spirit from God and began to prophesy. Joshua, who was Moses' right-hand man and later his successor, objected to these two receiving the free gift from God. He wanted Moses to prevent them from speaking in God's name, but Moses would not---the more believers who had the spirit of God among the people the better it would be for all, was his answer. His task would be so easy: "if only the whole people of Yahweh were prophets." Lord...cloud: This was God's way of manifesting his presence in his special tent or tabernacle. upon the seventy elders: They were given some of the spirit---the power and grace which God had given to Moses in Egypt, so that they would assist Moses in ruling and directing the people. did so no more: They immediately spoke as God's representatives, perhaps with great religious enthusiasm, ecstasy, chanting and dancing as in 1 Sm. 10: 11 and 19: 20-24, but these external signs were no longer necessary once the people knew that they were God's representatives. Eldad...Medad: These two men were among the seventy selected by Moses but for some reason---perhaps they felt themselves unworthy of this honor?---they did not come to the tent of Yahweh. However, this did not prevent Yahweh from giving them his spirit. Joshua: This loyal helper of Moses must have felt that getting the spirit of prophecy, while apparently disobeying Moses by not coming to the tent, they would be in some way in opposition to him, instead of being his helpers. jealous...sake: Moses had no such fears. He looked upon Eldad and Medad as his helpers and wished he had more. APPLICATION: The close personal interest of God in his Chosen People---not only when bringing them from Egypt to Canaan, but all through their history---must strike even a casual reader of the Old Testament. He was a true Father to them, even though more often than not they proved themselves to be unworthy children. At times he had to chastize them as has any true father to chastize the children he loves, but his anger against them never lasted long. His constant aim was to make of them a loving and obedient family. In the desert, on their journey from Egypt to Canaan, he provided for their bodily and spiritual needs; while in Canaan he helped them to overcome their enemies and establish themselves in the land he had promised their patriarchs; and through his prophets he tried to protect them from the idolatrous practices of their pagan neighbors. If one had read only the Old Testament story, and had never heard of the New Testament, one would surely find it difficult to understand why God---the God of the universe and of all nations---gave so much of his loving care to this one nation, while practically excluding all others. Such a reader would be like a man who read only the preface to a book while omitting the book itself. The Old Testament is in fact an introduction, a preface to the story of God's real love for all men. God picked Abraham and his descendants to prepare the way for the coming of his Son as man, in order to make all men sons of God and candidates for heaven. While favoring the Israelites then, he was preparing a far greater favor for all nations---he had not forgotten or neglected them. Through the Israelites they would receive the blessings he had planned from all eternity for the whole human race. The incident described in today's reading shows God's interest in the temporal and spiritual welfare of the Chosen People in their desert wanderings. It is also a foreshadowing of the power of the Spirit which Christ would give to the new Chosen People---the Church, for its spiritual government and guidance. Moses and his assistants were types of Peter and the other Apostles. They and their successors would do for the Church of Christ what Moses and his helpers did for the Israelites---they would teach and guide it on the way of truth, they would lead it on its journey through this life to the gates of eternity. The scene in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost day, when the Holy Spirit descended with visible signs and effects on the Apostles, was a replica of what happened in the desert to the Chosen People after they had left Mount Sinai; but the Jerusalem event had a meaning and a value which would extend through all time into eternity. The Church was to be taught the full knowledge of God as seen in the incarnation. It was to be taught the true destination of man. That destination was not Canaan or any other earthly kingdom, but unending life in God's kingdom. The Church was to be taught how to reach that goal. Peter and his assistants were given all the necessary helps which the members of the Church would need for their spiritual life. God was good to the Israelites and near to them, he is much nearer to us and greater are the divine gifts he has given us. He did not visit us in a cloud, he came in the person of his divine Son and lived among us. That divine Son suffered torments and death in his human nature so that we could live forever. He founded for us a Church, a living institution in which we have all the helps we need, including infallible guidance, when necessary, from the leaders he has appointed for us. They are the successors of Peter and the Apostles. While we live loyally in the Church, striving in all sincerity to carry out its laws, we need have no fear for our eventual salvation. Among the Israelites were some who resisted the authority of Moses and his assistants even though God had given his spirit to them. In Christ's Church also are some who challenge the authority of the divinely appointed leaders---the successors of Peter and the Apostles; the disobedient Israelites died in the desert, they did not see nor enter the Promised Land. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECOND READING: James 5:1-6. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Behold the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvester have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man: he does not resist you. EXPLANATION: In these six verses from St. James' epistle, we have a very vivid description and strong denunciation of the unscrupulous rich. While depriving their workmen of their justly earned wages they have "fattened their hearts" on what did not belong to them. Worse still, because of the position of power which their ill-gotten gains secured for them, they are responsible for the deaths of innocent people. However, when they come to judgement the treasures they have laid up will be used as evidence against them and will bring their eternal condemnation. weep...miseries: St. James tells them that miseries are coming on them which will make them weep and howl but not with repentance. riches...garments: In antiquity, costly garments were usually the external signs of riches. However, both the riches and the garments will come to nothing very soon. St. James sees this already as having happened so he uses the prophetic perfect tense---so common in the prophets. evidence against you: On the "dies illa," the day of wrath, this wealth or their ill-use of it, and the evil way it was amassed, will give testimony of their wickedness to the examining Judge. It will cause them to be condemned to "Gehenna," the place of torment and burning---according to the apocalyptic language of that time. treasure...days: They have wasted their time collecting earthly treasures which will have no value on the judgement day---the day of the coming of the Lord as Judge, which was then expected at any moment. wages of the laborers: This was one of the worst crimes that could be committed and one that cried to heaven for justice. luxury and in pleasure: They had made this short life their heaven---getting every personal pleasure and selfish satisfaction out of it. in a day of slaughter: Copying the image of Jeremiah (12: 13), he says the unjust rich have prepared themselves as sheep are fattened for butchering, for the day of slaughter, or judgement day. condemned...killed: The unscrupulous rich in the ancient world not only deprived laborers of their just wages, thus condemning them to starvation, but often they had the righteous man condemned to death---just because he was righteous and his way of living made their consciences uneasy. APPLICATION: The unscrupulous rich to whom St. James is referring most likely were not Christians. He is, nevertheless, warning all Christians to beware of the danger of concentrating on the accumulation of earthly wealth, especially if that wealth is acquired through injustice to the poor and helpless who labor for them. At the same time, he is consoling his fellow-Christians who are suffering and are without hope of redress at the hands of the unscrupulous ones. The sufferings of the Christians will bring them an eternal reward, while the wealth collected by the rich will be as additional instruments in the punishment which judgement so very soon will inflict on them. There is a reminder for all of us in these words of St. James. We have not here a lasting city; our purpose in life is not to collect the goods of this world in order to spend our years in luxury and pleasure, but to use this world as a stepping-stone toward our real goal in the life hereafter. Unfortunately, this earth with its wealth and pleasures, has a certain attraction for all of us. For some they become so alluring that they obscure, and sometimes exclude, the real purpose of life. While far from approving of this foolish mentality, we can nevertheless understand it. We are creatures of this earth, our life began here and here it would all have ended if God in his goodness had not planned otherwise. If this earth were the sole stage on which our life's drama was to run its course, then any sane man would try to get all he could out of this life. If death were the end, then surely we should try to pack all the pleasure and luxury possible into our few years on earth. As Christians we know the true purpose of our life on earth. We know God's loving plan for us. An eternity of happiness awaits us after death, if we live according to the rules he has laid down for us. With such a future awaiting us, God is not asking too much of us when he demands of us to be relatively detached from the things of earth. "Relatively," we say, because we may acquire within reason the goods of this world according to our needs, and we may enjoy the pleasures of this life that are according to our state in life, not against the commandments. For many the difficulty is to control "within reason" the acquisition of worldly goods and to see that these goods are acquired within the laws of justice. Today, in our Western world, because of the solidarity of laborers through their unions and associations, it is not quite so easy for employers to deprive their employees of just wages. What is often forgotten, however, is that the employees can and do at times act unjustly by failing, through idleness and unjustified abstention from work, to earn the wages given them. The worker, as well as the employer, is bound by the laws of justice. It is perhaps in the underdeveloped countries today that the words of St. James are still literally fulfilled. There the unscrupulous are amassing wealth at the expense, and by the exploitation, of the poor and helpless natives. To our shame, many of these oppressors of the poor are Christian at least in name, but they have forgotten Christian justice and their true purpose in life. As individuals, we cannot do much to right such shameful wrongs, but there are groups formed or being formed in the Western world to promote world justice and peace; by joining such groups and helping them financially, if possible, we can do much to stop such seriously sinful violations of the Christian code and the code of simple human justice. Today, let us examine our consciences in relation to this world's goods. Are we acquiring more than we need? Are we acquiring these goods justly? If we are employers: are we paying our workers a just wage? Are we treating them as fellowman, fellow-Christians, fellow-travelers to heaven? If we are employees: are we earning justly the wages we collect? Have we an interest in our employer's business and property? Do we act justly toward all our fellow-workers? If each of us can answer "yes" to our questions we are laying up "treasure for ourselves in heaven where neither moth nor woodworm destroy them nor can thieves break in and steal them" (Mt. 6: 21). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOSPEL: Mark 9:38-43; 45; 47-48. John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means 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 hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." EXPLANATION: In today's excerpt from St. Mark we have the incident of the exorcist who was not a follower of Jesus. The Apostles did not approve of this man, but Jesus said to let him be for "he that is not against us is for us"; the power of exorcism was from God. Mark then adds a collection of sayings on charity, avoiding scandal and the necessity of giving up what is most dear to us in life if it impedes us from entering eternal life. casting...name: Although not as yet a follower of Jesus, the man was exorcizing, casting out demons in the name, that is, by the power of Jesus. John, one of the Apostles, thought this was wrong, that this exorcist was usurping power which was not his, but Jesus did not agree with this interpretation. mighty...name: Any man who has this power, has it from God and therefore he is not an opponent of Christ; he will not be able to speak evil, condemn the activity of Jesus. cup...Christ: Even a much smaller act of kindness than that of exorcism done to a fellowman because of Christ will have its heavenly reward---and a non-Christian could perform such an act. causes...sin: Anyone who weakens the faith of Christ's followers, his "little ones" (see last Sunday's Gospel), would be better off if he had been drowned before he committed this sin of scandal. A shortening of one's earthly life is of little importance when compared with the loss of ones eternal life. hand...eye: Not only must one avoid scandal---causing others to sin---but each true follower of Christ must be ready to sacrifice what is nearest and dearest to him rather than commit a personal sin. The cutting off of one's foot or hand or the plucking out of ones eye is not to be taken literally, this is a metaphorical way of stressing and indelibly impressing upon us that the kingdom of God, the future eternal life, is worth any sacrifice (see the parables of the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure). The thought here in terms of sacrificing part of the body rather than losing the whole life is similar to the idea expressed in Mark 8: 34 ff, under the images of taking up one's cross and of dying in order to live. thrown...hell: Gehenna---the word is translated: "hell," was a valley west of Jerusalem which was, at the time of Christ, the refuse dump for the city. This explains the imagery of "the worm"---the maggots eating the offal; and the "fire" which was perpetually smoldering for the destruction of the refuse. APPLICATION: There are two very practical lessons we must learn from today's Gospel: the grave obligation we have of not causing scandal to our fellow-Christians or indeed to any man or woman and secondly, the willingness we should have to sacrifice any earthly possession which is a cause of sin to us. Scandal, the sin of being a cause or an occasion of another's sin, is doubly sinful involving one's own sin and the sin of the person scandalized. Scandal can be caused by word---that is, by teaching or propagating wrong doctrine or by giving sinful advice, and it can be caused by one's own sinful deeds which may be imitated by others. Those in positions of authority such as parents whose duty it is to bring up their children in the Christian faith, are especially liable to give scandal if they fail to live truly Christian lives. Christian parents who fail to live according to their faith will be held accountable not only for their own sins, but for the sins of their children and perhaps their children's children for generations to come. Much, if not all of today's moral laxity and permissiveness can be blamed on parents who have failed to give the example of true Christian living in the home and in dealings with their neighbors. To children of such parents, Christianity is only a label; it does not inform or inspire their lives, hence they are only nominal Christians. It is true that there may be "black sheep" in the best of Christian homes. When, however, all the children of a home are "black sheep" the whiteness, the sincerity, of the parents of such a home must certainly be called into question. There may be many bad influences at work outside the home but the good example of truly Christian parents can counteract these influences. Let parents see to it that they will not be a cause of scandal and a cause of eternal loss to the children God put into their charge. The second lesson for all of us in today's Gospel is that we should ever realize that eternal life is worth any sacrifice which we may be called on to make. The road we have to travel in life is not an easy one. As our Lord says in another place: "Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Mt. 7: 13). We wish to reach heaven, therefore we must be prepared to follow Christ; we must not allow others to lead us astray but be prepared and determined to conquer and resist our own evil inclinations also. The world and our own human nature will put many obstacles in our way. For that reason God gave us the Ten Commandments which spell out for us what we are to avoid and what we are to do if we wish to have eternal life. For many, keeping these commandments is no easy task---they make severe demands at times, but our Lord makes it crystal clear that we must endure the hardship because the prize, the reward, is everlasting happiness. When he said that we must be ready to deprive ourselves of a foot or a hand or an eye if they should be obstacles to us, he was speaking metaphorically: to stress that we must be ready if necessary to give up what is nearest and dearest to our nature. The less of earthly luggage we carry with us and the less of earthly attachments we give way to, the easier and safer will be our journey.-b394 Click to return to our Home page