26 -SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME - B – 2021
In the Gospel of Mark Jesus continues to teach
practical lessons about discipleship.
In this Sunday’s Gospel he teaches two lessons
to his disciples:
o
Whoever does something good does it because
he/she has allowed God to act through them
o If our actions induce other to sin, we have to change this radically.
THE BOOK OF NUMBERS
« It
is the fourth book of the Pentateuch; it comes after the book of
Leviticus.
« In
the books of Exodus and Leviticus we left the people in the Sinai desert where
they have received the Law, Aaron has been consecrated priest, the sanctuary
has been built and the worship has been inaugurated.
« Now
the people are ready to begin the journey toward the land promised to the
fathers.
« This
book is called in the Greek translation Ἀριθμοί, Arithmoi and in the Hebrew במדבר, Bəmidbar which means “In the
desert.”
« The
text is complex, it indicates the intervention of diverse authors along
different times, during many centuries of composition.
« The
title numbers fits well to this book since it has a large number of censuses.
« This
book so complex has also a message for us today.
« The
leading thread is the land promised to the patriarchs; thus the people cannot
remain at Sinai or in any other place of its journey, it has to reach the land.
The people receive the guidelines to divide the land among the tribes, and the
borders of the whole land.
« We
cannot stop during the journey “the land” the Lord has shown to us with our
call, we need to continue until we get to the goal, he has set for us.
FIRST READING: Numbers 11:25-29
, let
us listen to its message
§ The
text describes the gift of the spirit of God, which God has given to Moses and
to the seventy elders.
§ On
receiving the spirit, they prophesize.
§ What
is the meaning of prophesize? It is not to say something about the future,
although some of this is present also. It is to say something about the present
time, an interpretation, under the light of faith, of a concrete historical
situation (political, financial, moral, from everyday life…)
§ Two
of them remained in the camp, but they also received the gift of the spirit and
prophesized.
§ A
young man, Joshua, goes to Moses and tells him, with indignation, about the two
elders, because they were not with the rest.
§ Moses wishes that all could prophesize, that is, that all may have the spirit of God on them.
RESPONSORIAL
PSALM – Ps 19: 8,10,12-13,14
Ø This
is a psalm of praise to the law of God, which is the manifestation of his
will
Ø The
precepts of the Lord are the joy of the heart of the just.
Ø They
give wisdom to the simple.
Ø The psalmist asks God to be cleansed from sin
The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of
the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
The precepts of
the Lord give joy to the heart.
Though your servant is careful of them,
very diligent in keeping them,
Yet who can detect failings?
Cleanse me from my unknown faults!
The precepts of
the Lord give joy to the heart.
From wanton sin especially, restrain your servant;
let it not rule over me.
Then shall I be blameless and innocent
of serious sin.
The precepts of
the Lord give joy to the heart.
GOSPEL Mk 9:38-43.45.47-48
In
this passage of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus gives two new lessons about
discipleship, to his disciples and to
all of us. John comes to Jesus with indignation
because there is “one” who expels demons in the name of Jesus, but he does not
belong to their group.
In the mind of John this should not be, they are
the only ones who can expel demons because they are in the company of the
Teacher.
Jesus takes advantage of this situation to teach
them a lesson on discipleship
§ He
tells them that it is impossible that someone who performs miracles in his name
be against him.
§ Because
who is not against us is with us.
§ This
reading invites us to reflect on our own attitudes; to see if they resemble
those of the jealous John.
§ What
Jesus wants to tell us is that everyone who does good works, does them because
Jesus is with him or her, even if this person does not know or does not accept
Jesus.
§ No
one can do good works without God. God
is always the author of good. The only thing we can do is open or close
ourselves to his work in us.
Now he is going to teach a lesson on “causing
others to sin” and thus hurt people in their spirit.
§ Jesus
uses very harsh words, which shaken us. Jesus in the Gospel of Mark uses to do so
frequently.
§ All that is in you, which is occasion of sin for your brother or sister, eliminate or take it out from your life.
SECOND READING
Jas 5:1-6
Ø The
strong words of James to his community help us to understand the magnitude of
the social evil, which derives from our selfishness.
Ø On
reading these words, we realize that the community of the beginnings of the
church suffered from the same or similar injustices as our XXI century
communities.
Ø Our
social behavior must be a consequence of the commandment to love our brothers
and sisters, which Jesus left us.
Ø The
riches are not evil in themselves, because they are a gift of creation, and
creation comes from God. What is evil is the wrong way to use them, to use them
to abuse our brothers and sisters who are poor.
Ø James
reminds those who have employees and have become rich abusing them, that the
salary they have not paid on time is a voice that cries out to God. Let us remember that our God hears the cry of
the poor, the suffering and the oppressed. In the
book of Exodus God says to Moses that he has heard the cry of his people and
has come to deliver them.
Ø From
the explanation of James, it looks like the employers have kept the salary of
his employees to keep the interest for themselves.
Ø James
compares the luxury, the entertainments, and the banquets of the rich taking
advantage of the people in need, to the fattening of cows before taking them to
the slaughterhouse.
Ø These
are very harsh words, which makes us tremble perceiving the suffering of God on
seeing the selfishness and evil we can do, because these behaviors can lead us
to our destruction as human beings.
J.M.J
To Mother Antonia París
París,
February 28 1869
My
very dear Mother in J. C.: By means of
Fr. Currius I have received your letter from the 15th of the present month. After
reading it I say that we are in times when we gave to practice the virtue of
patience. Doing and suffering is how we walk to the happy eternity. Jesus, Mary Most Holy and all the Saints have
followed this path. Alas! If we did not have to suffer! This is the work of our profession, what
would be the use of having many skills without anything to do? What would we do if we did not have to suffer
calumnies, persecutions? … When good
people praise us, there is always the danger of self-complacency and vanity;
but when bad people praise us, there isn’t. Maybe you will ask, when do bad people praise
us?... They praise us when they persecute and calumny us; in order that you
understand this truth I will use a comparison. Have you seen in a vegetable
garden a fig tree with lots of figs, and many birds go to eat them? do you want
to know which are the best figs? The birds will tell you, those they seek and eat
most.
This
is just like the Gospel. Jesus our Divine Master has said “if you were from the
world, the world would love you, but since you are not from the world, but
mine, this is why the world hates you… When
they will say all sorts of lies against you … rejoice.” Let us rejoice and say:
Long live Jesus, long live Jesus!!!...
When
you have the opportunity greet the Penitentiary, the Prior from Reus, the Nuns.
My greetings to you. Your Chaplain.
Antonio María (Letter 281)
BIBLIOGRAPHY .
PAGOLA, José A. Following in the Footsteps of Jesus –
Meditations on the Gospel for Year B.
RAVASI, GIANFRANCO. Según las
Escrituras (According to the Scriptures) – Year B. Translated into Spanish by Justiniano
Beltrán. Bogotá 2005.
RR. of MARY IMMACULATE CLARETIAN
MISSIONARY SISTERS. Cartas de los
Inicios (Letters from the Origins) Madrid 2009.
SAGRADA BIBLIA. Versión oficial de la Conferencia Episcopal Española. (Official
edition of the Spanish Conference of Bishops)
SCHÖKEL, Luis Alonso. LA BIBLIA DE
NUESTRO PUEBLO (The Bible of our people) Misioneros Claretianos. China
2008.
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