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Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 2, 2025

FEBRUARY 27, 2025: THURSDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

February 27, 2025


 

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 344

 

Reading 1

Sirarch 5:1-8

Rely not on your wealth;
say not: ""I have the power.""
Rely not on your strength
in following the desires of your heart.
Say not: ""Who can prevail against me?""
or, ""Who will subdue me for my deeds?""
for God will surely exact the punishment.
Say not: ""I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?""
for the Most High bides his time.
Of forgiveness be not overconfident,
adding sin upon sin.
Say not: ""Great is his mercy;
my many sins he will forgive.""
For mercy and anger alike are with him;
upon the wicked alights his wrath.
Delay not your conversion to the LORD,
put it not off from day to day.
For suddenly his wrath flames forth;
at the time of vengeance you will be destroyed.
Rely not upon deceitful wealth,
for it will be no help on the day of wrath.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 1:1-4, 6

R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

 

Alleluia

1 Thessalonians 2:13

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel

Mark 9:41-50

Jesus said to his disciples:
""Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not 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 put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed   
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled   
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

""Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.""
 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022725.cfm

 


Commentary on Sirach 5:1-8

The passage speaks of our attitudes to wealth, power and false confidence and consists of a number of distinct pieces of advice on how we should behave. It comes from the first part of a 22-line poetic arrangement of warnings on the disastrous consequences of false presumptions, wrong speech and shameful behaviour. It is particularly directed against the evils of the rich, which tend to pride and a sense of independence, presumption, false security and no regrets for what they do. People who behave in this way are playing a very dangerous game.

The passage begins:

Do not rely on your wealth
or say, “I have enough.”

There are some who believe that with wealth they can get or have anything, or that wealth will give them power to control and manipulate others. Money alone is never enough. Having money has little to do with wisdom or happiness.

Do not follow your inclination and strength
in pursuing the desires of your heart.

The “desires of our heart” can lead us very far astray and bring about our own self-destruction. Pleasure and happiness are two very different things.

Do not say, “Who can have power over me?”
for the Lord will surely punish you.

Wealth can give one a sense of total self-sufficiency, a belief that with money one can get anything one wants, and that one is answerable to no one. And yet, the rich person is, in many respects, just as vulnerable as one who is materially destitute. A tiny blood clot in the wrong place can bring a sudden end to everything. The ultimate life decisions are never ours.

Do not say, “I sinned, yet what has happened to me?”
for the Lord is slow to anger.

One may be very aware of leading a life which is immoral and unjust, but nothing bad has happened so one keeps acting immorally. That is because “the Lord is slow to anger”. This phrase comes from the time the Israelites rebelled against God at Mount Sinai. But instead of punishing them, Yahweh gave them a second chance and told them:

The Lord, the Lord,
a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…
 (Exod 34:6-7)

God’s bias is towards forgiveness and mercy, but there is a limit. In the end, sin and immorality will have to be paid for. The unrepentant wrongdoers put themselves outside God’s mercy.

Do not be so confident of forgiveness
that you add sin to sins.

This is similar to the previous injunction. We can be sure of God’s forgiveness when we repent, but it never justifies our deliberately continuing to act in ways that are evil and immoral, like someone who says he will continue his sinful life, but will make a ‘good confession’ at the end. Once aware of behaving in ways that are in disharmony with the Way shown to us by Jesus, we must abandon such behaviour now.

Do not say, “His mercy is great;
he will forgive the multitude of my sins,”
for both mercy and wrath are with him,
and his anger will rest on sinners.

This is another similar warning. Yes, God’s mercy is great and his forgiveness is always there for us, but as long as we are turned away from him, we close the door on that mercy and forgiveness. The Prodigal Son could only be reconciled when he came to his senses and turned back to his Father.

Do not delay to turn back to the Lord,
and do not postpone it from day to day,
for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will come forth,
and at the time of punishment you will perish.

Repentance must follow immediately on our awareness of going the wrong way. If God comes for us and we are facing in the wrong direction, knowingly doing what we know to be very wrong, we may hear those terrible words:

Truly I tell you, I do not know you. (Matt 25:12)

And, of course, we do not know when he will come for us. But we do know that it can happen very suddenly and to anyone.

Finally, the passage says:

Do not rely on dishonest wealth,
for it will not benefit you on the day of calamity.

Immorally acquired wealth may get us far in the world of business and the world of expensive indulgence, but it will do nothing for us on the day we hear the final call. We remember Jesus’ parable about the rich fool, who felt so rich that he could put his feet up and have a long life of enjoyment ahead of him (Luke 12:13-21). How wrong he was! All that matters is here and now to find, to recognise and to serve Jesus in every other person, especially those in need of any kind.

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Commentary on Mark 9:41-50

Today’s Gospel speaks of ‘scandal’.  It is a much used word in our media today and not always with the same meaning that we find in the Gospel.  In our time it tends to refer to behaviour which we do not expect from certain individuals or classes of people.  We read about it and we say, “How terrible!  How wicked!”  In the Gospel, however, ‘scandals’ are stumbling blocks which impede one’s journey along Christ’s Way. If a head of state behaves inappropriately with someone in his or her office, that may be scandalous in the media sense, but it is not likely to affect the living out of one’s own Christian faith.

The Way of Christ is expressed in love and compassion and, wherever that happens, the action is noted and rewarded.  So anyone who gives a disciple even a drink of water, precisely because that person is known to be a follower of Christ, will not go unrewarded.  That ‘anyone’ is to be taken with full literalness.  It could be a person of a completely different religion or of none.  And one would hope that we would do exactly the same in return.

On the other hand, anyone who corrupts the beliefs of a simple believer is only fit for a fate worse than death.  And that applies most of all to fellow believers who, by their actions, can be an obstacle to a person following Christ or coming to know Christ.

But even within ourselves, there can be things in our lives which can block our living out of the Gospel message.  A wandering hand may steal, may hurt, may sexually abuse; it would be better to be without a hand than to allow it to do such things.  A wandering foot may bring us to places where we are corrupted or cause corruption to others.  It would be better to be crippled than to be involved in such things. A wandering eye can result in our treating other people, however beautiful and attractive, as mere objects of desire and may lead to worse things. We can read stories or visit websites which may lead us to thoughts and actions harmful both to ourselves and others—there are many possibilities. Blindness would be a lesser evil.

Obviously, Jesus is not urging us to carry out such amputations literally.  His point is to warn us of the many things which can be stumbling blocks in our Christian lives.  Perhaps we could reflect a little today and try to enumerate the things that get between us and our following of Jesus.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel:

…everyone will be salted with fire…

To be salted is to be purified and kept from corruption.  This can refer either to penalties by which a sinner is punished and at the same time preserved, or to the purifying trials through which we are made more faithful followers.  This is the kind of ‘amputation’ that can apply to those who have caused scandal.

This purification can happen through the trials which the Christian is likely to face in the faithful living out of the Gospel. But if the salt itself loses its taste, what can be used to give taste back to it? Rather:

Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

Good “salt”, that which ‘seasons’ us, seems to be the inner essence of the message of Jesus.  It is certainly the key to peace in our own hearts and in our relationships with those around us.  And if that salt is within us, we are not likely to be a stumbling block to others looking for Christ and his Way.

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Thursday, February 27, 2025

Ordinary Time

 

Opening Prayer

Father, keep before us the wisdom and love You have revealed in Your Son. Help us to be like Him in word and deed, for He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Gospel Reading - Mark 9: 41-50

Jesus said to his disciples: "Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not 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 put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter

into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the

Kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another."

 

Reflection

Today’s Gospel narrates some advice from Jesus on the relationship of adults with the little ones and the excluded. At that time, many persons were excluded and marginalized. They could not participate. Many of them would lose their faith. The text on which we are going to meditate now contains strange affirmations which, if taken literally, cause perplexity in the reader.

  Mark 9: 41 - A glass of water will be rewarded. A phrase from Jesus is inserted here: If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not lose his reward. Two thoughts: 1) “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink.” Jesus is going to Jerusalem to give His life. A gesture of great donation! But He does not forget

the small gestures in life each day: a cup of water, an act of acceptance or kindness, to give alms, so many gestures. Anyone who rejects and despises the brick will never be able to construct a house! 2) “… because you belong to Christ”: Jesus identifies Himself with us who want to belong to Him. This

means that for Him we have great value. The word here is because, not if. To give a cup of water because the receiver belongs to Christ also acknowledges Christ! In this act of kindness, the giver is also acknowledging Christ by his action.

  Mark 9: 42 - Who is a cause of scandal for these little ones. Scandal, literally, it is a stone along the road, a stone in the shoe. It is what leads a person away from the right path. To scandalize the little ones is to be the cause of why the little ones go away from the right path and lose their faith in God. Anyone who does this receives the following sentence: “It would have been better to be thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck!” Jesus identifies Himself with the little ones (Mt 23: 40-45). Today, in the whole world, many little ones, many poor people, are leaving the traditional churches. Every year, in Latin America, approximately three million people leave to other churches.

They cannot believe what we profess! Why does this happen? Is this an action taken in full knowledge and as a definitive statement? Is it based on a lack of understanding or teaching? Up to what point are we to be blamed for this? Do we also merit having a millstone round our neck?

  Mark 9: 43-48 - To cut off your hand and your foot and to tear out your eye. Jesus orders the person to cut off the hand, the foot, to tear out the eye, in the case in which they are cause of scandal. And He says: “It is better to enter into life or into the Kingdom with one foot (hand, eye) than to be thrown into hell with two feet, (hands, eyes).” These phrases are not to be taken literally, but rather, that there is nothing so important that it should be retained if it were to keep a person from entering  the Kingdom. They mean that the person has to be rooted in his/her choice of God and of the Gospel. It might seem obvious that a person can’t be more attached to something than their own hand or foot,

but many are – to their money, their car or house, their social position, or even more trivial things. It is better to cut off the things that are not in alignment with the priorities of the Kingdom.

  The expression “hell”, where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out”, is an image to indicate the situation of a person who remains without God. “Gehenna” was the name of a valley near Jerusalem.  Jeremiah condemns it (II Kings 23: 10; Jer 7: 31; 32: 35 et al.; see Moloch) as a place where children were cult sacrificed, which is the predominant rabbinical thought. Rabbi David Kimhi’s commentary (ca. 1200 AD) stated it was where the trash of the city was thrown and where a fire was always burning to burn the trash. This place, terrible either way, full of stench, was used by the people to symbolize the situation of the person who did not participate in the Kingdom of God.

  Mark 9: 49-50  - Salt and Peace. These two verses help us to understand the severe words on scandal. Jesus says: “Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another!” The community, in which the members live in peace with one another, is like a bit of salt which gives flavor to all the meal. To live in peace and fraternally in the community is the salt that gives flavor to the life of the people of the community. It is a sign of the Kingdom, a revelation of the Good News of God. Are we salt? The salt which does not give flavor is good for nothing! Has our salt become insipid?

  Jesus accepts and defends the life of the little ones. Several times, Jesus insists that little ones should be accepted. “Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me” (Mk 9: 37). Anyone who gives a cup of water to one of these little ones will not lose his reward (Mt 10: 42). He asks not to despise little ones (Mt 18: 10). And at the final judgment the just will be received because

they would have given something to eat “to one of these little ones” (Mt 25: 40). If Jesus insists so much on acceptance of the little ones, it is because there are many simple people considered less, who are not accepted! In fact, women and children were not taken into account (Mt 14: 21; 15: 38), they were despised (Mt 18:10) and reduced to silence (Mt 21:  15-16). Even the Apostles prevented the children from getting close to Jesus (Mt 19: 13-14). In the name of the Law of God, misinterpreted by the religious authority of the time, many good people were excluded. Instead of welcoming the excluded, the law was used to legitimize the exclusion. In the Gospels, the expression “little ones” (in

Greek it is said elachisto, mikroi or nepioi), sometimes indicates “the children”, and other times it indicates the sections excluded by society. It is not easy to discern. Sometimes the “little ones” in the Gospel means “the children.” This because the children belonged to the category of the “little ones,” of the excluded. Besides, it is not always easy to discern between what comes from the time of Jesus and that which comes from the time of the communities for which the Gospels were written. Even if things were like this, what is clear is the context of  exclusion which reigned at the time and which the  first communities kept from Jesus: He places Himself on the side of the little ones and the excluded and takes up their defense.

 

Personal Questions

  Today in our society and in our community, who are the little ones and the excluded? How are they accepted on our part?

  “Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me” (Mk 9: 37). How does this apply to welcoming a child versus abortion in our society?

  We spoke of “Anyone who is not against us is for us” yesterday, and its relation to other Christian doctrinal interpretations. We talk about ecumenism. Today we talked about so many people leaving to other churches. These are various views on the same thing. How do they fit together?

  “A millstone round the neck” Does my behavior deserve a millstone or a cord round the neck? What does the behavior of our community deserve?

 

Concluding Prayer

The Lord forgives all your offenses, cures all your diseases, He redeems your life from the abyss, crowns you with faithful love and tenderness. (Ps 103: 3-4)

 

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