24 - SUNDAY IN ORDINARY
TIME – B – 2021
§ Last Sunday, the readings were about hearing-
listening and speaking-proclaiming the Word we have heard.
§ Today, the Lord
o
Invites us to
discover that in Jesus’ school the greatest is the one who serves more his/her
brothers and sisters, not the one who abuses them to satisfy his ambitions of
being the greatest.
o
At the same time
Jesus makes a estrange invitation, to take our cross and follow him.
FIRST READING : Is 50:5-9a
This text is taken from the
second part of the book of Isaiah, called Deutero-Isaiah or Second Isaiah. The
author can be either an Israelite who has come back from exile, or someone who
has never left the country.
It is the poet who sings the
wonders of the return from exile with exodus imaginary, where God repeats again
the marvels he had done, who goes before his people in this joyful return so
much waited for.
In the Second Isaiah, we find
four poems that have been called the Servant poems or songs.
This servant is considered to
be, either Israel-Jacob who represents the people, or another person faithful
to God.
These texts, referred to an
anonymous servant, open a completely new perspective in the Old Testament and
in the religious world in general:
o Suffering is a road to God
o It is not only a reality from which we ask God to be freed, as we find in
the psalms.
o This suffering may be of value, not only for the person who
experiences it but, also for other persons
o That is why, the Church has seen in these Servant Songs, the description of
the mission of Jesus, the faithful and suffering Servant who gives his life for
his people and for the glory of God.
Let us see the message of this Sunday reading,
§ The Servant tells us that, God has open his ears, and that, he has not
turned back
o I gave my back to those
who beat me,
o my cheeks to those who
plucked my beard;
o my face from buffets and
spitting.
·
This Servant tells us of his
great trust in the Lord, and He has been able to do all of these because he
knows that the Lord is with him, and that He will not abandon him, and thus he
will not be deceived in his hope, in his faith.
§ The confidence in the presence of the Lord is what makes him able to
challenge his enemies, what enemies?
§ We suffer also during our life, each one in his/her own way, with a
different sensibility, but are we confident like the Servant in the love that God has for us?
§ Confidence which will make us able to challenge all the enemies which are:
the suffering we inflict to one another, the poor health, the broken
relationships, the lack of work, the chattered dreams, the failures, the
abandonments…
§ Yes, indeed the Lord, the God of Israel is with us through his Son Jesus, the God-with-us.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 116: 1-2. 3-4. 5-6. 8-9
I will walk before the Lord, in
the land of the living.
v The care the Lord has for me is what
makes me love Him
v When
I am in anguish, in danger, I invoke Him and He saves me.
v The
Lord is gracious, just, compassionate and He protects the little ones.
v The
Lord has freed me from death, mi feet from stumbling, my eyes from tears.
v For this, I continue to walk in the presence of the Lord, because He is my God and He helps me.
GOSPEL Mc 8: 27-35
·
In our reading from the Gospel of Mark,
we have reached the end of the first part, and Jesus challenges us with a
question.
·
Let us imagine the scene, Jesus is with
his own, those who live with Him, his closest friends, those He has chosen to
be sent. At the same time through the context, we realize that there are also
other followers, other disciples and even some curious by-standers.
·
Jesus asks an estrange question which,
probably surprised those men who knew Him to be humble, simple, not worried
about himself. Who do people say that I am? Why do you want to know that
Jesus?
·
The apostles, like we do when we are
taking a class and the teacher asks a question about something we do not know,
gave some superficial answers to make believe that they knew what people felt
about Jesus.
·
But Jesus has a surprise for those simple
men, and also for us the followers of the XXI century in 2021. And you who do
you say?
·
Now we are in real trouble, because Jesus
does not want any response, he does not want an answer from what the Catechism
says, or the priest that gave a retreat said or a theologian has said. No, he
is not interested in those answers; he wants to know who is he for you?
·
If we are sincere, we will say that this
is the hardest question to answer, and that we need our entire life to get
closer to the truth.
·
Who am I for you: John, Peter, George,
Louis, Angel, Sonia, Olga, Sandy, Nancy, Guadalupe….? Do I mean anything for
you? Do I make you as happy as you make me happy?
Think and
meditate, and you will see how the answer takes shape little by little through the
years.
·
After that, Jesus, you will explain
to them and to the crowd what does it mean to be the Suffering Servant,
and you invite me to be like that Servant,
to collaborate with you in the transformation of our world into your
Kingdom “to take my cross and follow you.” The accent is not in taking the
cross but in “follow you” because the cross without you has no meaning at
all.
SECOND
READING – Jas 2: 14-18
It would seem that James is discussing
with someone about faith and works.
For James faith can be seen only through
works, born from love: to clothe the naked, feed the hungry…
James makes us reflect on the truth of
our faith, an invitation to live in truth our life of followers of the
Suffering Servant, Jesus, our Teacher.
Let us allow this reflection of James
challenge our faith and our works.
CLARETIAN
CORNER -
J.M.J
M. Antonia
París de S. Pedro
Madrid, July 20 1868
Very dear
Mother in J. C.: I have received you letter from the 15th of the current month
and after reading it I tell you that I am so busy, right now , with other very
important businesses that I do not feel like using my time in writing
letters.
Because I think
you will rejoice in the Lord, I will explain a little one of these works in
which I am really busy. It is a Plan of the Church which I already have in
embryo. I have proposed it to the Queen and the King, the Minister of Grace and
Justice, the new Nuncio and it seems good to all of them. It has four parts: the first is on succeeding
in nominating bishops. The second looks at the canons, how they have to be
chosen, they will be chosen from among the pastors who had served well during
20 years, from professors of the seminary who had taught for 10 years and third
from employees of the Palace who will
have served for 5 years as provisor, secretary, fiscal et … and also if a
priest excels in knowledge, virtue or special services, according to the
judgement of the Prelate.
There is also
another part about the fulfillment of their duties by the pastors. The fourth
and last part, how to instruct the mind and form and educate the heart of the
children that God calls to religious life, so that they become good
friars. When the gardener wants to plant
the vegetable garden, he prepares beforehand the plants, and when they are
ready he transplants them to its place
within the garden, and thus he has a
planted and beautiful garden. May God grant that the corporal warmth of time
communicates to them the warmth of the spiritual love. May,
all of you, love God and his Most Blessed Mother. I send these two holy cards,
one for you and the other for Rev. Bofarull and tell him I have received his
letter.
My kind regards to all.
Anthony Mary Archbishop
of Trajanópolis
Letters from the Origins. Letter 273.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
RR. OF MARY IMMACULATE CLARETIAN
MISSIONARY SISTERS. Cartas de los
Orígenes (Letters from the
Origins), 2009.
CONFERENCIA DE
OBISPOS DE ESPAÑA, Sagrada Biblia, versión oficial. 2010
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