Pastor's Letter 20210919 - 19 September 2021 - Management of the Church

[Father Michael]

September 19th, 2021

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Whoever welcomes one child such as this, in My name, receives Me.”

A Message from Father †Michael

Today’s Theme:   “The Management of the Church”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

During His life, He received little official recognition.  While He lived, the only thing ever written about Him was the “criminal charge” hung above His head on the cross.  Yet His life changed the world:  By His innocent suffering (Wisdom.) Jesus Christ revealed to the world the mystery of God’s ways of love, ways that find greatness in smallness and humble service to the poor (†Mark.)  His way of true wisdom issued forth in peace (†James.)

The Book of Wisdom was the Jewish answer to a Greek philosophical system that threatened to overwhelm and dilute traditional Jewish religion and culture.  For Jewish readers, the book served as an inspiration and encouragement to retain and preserve Judaism’s monotheistic concepts and traditional values in the midst of a pagan environment.  Our First Reading (Wisdom 2:12, 17-20,) is an outgrown of the author’s meditation consideration of Isaiah (Ch. 52-66,) wherein he shares the prophet’s insights into justice and retribution.  In it, the Just One is representative of all whose sincere search for God and for wisdom set them apart from the pleasure seekers of the ancient world.  Like an external conscience, the goodness of the Just One made the depravity of His contemporaries all the more poignant by comparison.

Martin Luther called the book of †James “an epistle full of straw.”  (He may also have wished to be able to “huff and puff and blow it away…”, or, at least have it removed from the New Testament!)  But the letter, with it’s 108 verses of practical and moral exhortation, has survived the test of time, scrutiny and continued controversy.  Today’s Second Reading (James 3:16-4:3,) draws from two different exhortations:  In the first paragraph, we see compared the fruits of true wisdom and the just deserts, as it were, of false wisdom; secondly, †James tried to discern the source of strife and discord within the community of believers.  The two are linked by the idea that real peace comes from true wisdom and fosters communal harmony, while discord and calamity are the result of false, and empty wisdom.  Such questions reflect the problems of the late first century Church, wherein some thought themselves privy to a very special wisdom, revealed only to an elite group, and withheld from others.

†Mark’s portrayal of the disciples was often less than complimentary.  “Warts and all,” the evangelist described their lack of understanding of Jesus’ person and mission.  Without hesitation, he recounted their difficulty to comprehend, their fear and even, their ambition.  By contrast, the evangelists, writing after Mark, tended to “tone down” their negative and pejorative aspects, and cast them more favorably.  In today’s Gospel (Mark 9:30-37,) we hear the second of three predictions of Jesus’ passion, and the disciples’ continued lack of comprehension.  Mark wished to focus on the cross as the sign and the means whereby the healing of the world of sin would be affected.  With each prediction, it became clearer that to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, meant to be overshadowed by the cross and that the cost of discipleship would entail a total and unreserved commitment.  

True and False Ambition

Not only is there nothing wrong with being ambitious, it’s good to have goals, to want to be “good” at one does and to succeed.  But ambition can get “out of hand,” causing us to forget everything else in pursuit of our objectives.  

But, it’s paramount that we must are mindful of what we must sacrifice in order to realize our prize.  It may involve sacrificing our family life, our sense of fairness, kindness, even life, itself.  Drive and ambition can case a person to treat others cruelly, or unjustly.  

Today’s Gospel shows us how the apostles fought over who would be “first” in Jesus’ kingdom. Their selfishness and false ambition shows how little they had learned from their Master, and how poor was their understanding of His mission.  

Jesus did not abolish ambition.  Rather, He redefined it. For the ambition to rule over others, and have them serve us, He substituted the ambition to serve others, and do things for them.  In so doing, He showed them where true greatness was to be found—not by being masters, but by being servants.

We all believe that really great people of our world, who are fondly remembered, are not those who seek to further themselves and their own interests, but rather those who devote themselves to furthering the interests of their community.  In order to serve, one has to be very self-effacing. A servant has to be accepting of being taken for granted.  

The mistake the apostles made was to put the job, or the position, first.  In their eyes, the greatest among them was the one who had the highest position.  (They obviously thought that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom, and so each wanted to get a top position in that kingdom.)  But Jesus told them that His kingdom was not about seeking honor and glory for oneself, but about serving others.  If they were prepared to do that, then by all means they could have a top place in His kingdom. He wanted to impress upon them that they would not be sitting on high, soft chairs, but would more likely be down on their knees with a basin of water in one hand and a towel in the other, washing the feet of “the little ones”—the weakest members of the community.

False ambition is very damaging to the unity of any community.  It springs from jealousy, and selfishness, and can result in ugly behavior.  So much of today’s violence and evil results from greed and selfishness.  Self-interest creates conflict and often results in painful divisions.    

It’s easier to serve those who are “great,” because we feel honored through our association with them, and, there is a better chance of obtaining rewards.  But the real test is in serving “the least,” from whom we cannot expect any rewards.  That’s how we understand Jesus saying: “Whoever welcomes one such child, welcomes Me.”  “To welcome” means to give loving service.  And “child” stands for the weakest members of the community, who are the neediest.  Service rendered to the least is best of all.  We hear the same words in the last judgment scene: “As long as you did it to one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it to Me.”  

Jesus set the example for us, Himself.  Though He had authority from God, He never used it to dominate others.  Instead, He used it to serve them.  And that service was directed towards the poor, the sick, the maimed, the outcasts….

It’s not what one does but the character of the person that is important.  One’s self-worth should not depend on a person’s work.  It’s possible to possess an attitude of self-worth and accomplishment, regardless of what one does in this world.  

We hear a lot of talk these days about self-esteem, and rightly so, because it is pretty basic thing.  But if we want to feel proud of ourselves, we must do those things of which we can be proud.  Feelings follow actions.  Jesus tells us they are deeds of love and service, setting the example Himself:  He gave His life in the service of others. No one can go higher than that.  He is the greatest in the kingdom.

Service implies that you’re not “there” for yourself.  You are “there” for others.  In order to serve, one has to be very self-effacing.  A servant has to get used to being taken for granted….

May God Richly Bless You!

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

(Ghandi) 

God is our Refuge.docx

To view a live stream of today's Holy Mass, click here:  https://youtu.be/LXPZIRpb-ks

Edited September 19, 2021 by Father Michael