Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B September 23, 2018

First Reading
Wisdom 2:12,17-20
The just one is put to the test.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 54:3-4,5,6 & 8
A prayer for God's protection.

Second Reading
James 3:16—4:3
James teaches about the wisdom from above.

Gospel Reading
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus teaches his disciples that the greatest are those who serve all.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise."
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
"What were you arguing about on the way?"
But they remained silent.
They had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
"If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me."


Background on the Gospel Reading

In today's Gospel, we hear Jesus again predict his passion, death, and
Resurrection to his disciples. The setting here is important. Jesus and
his disciples are preparing to journey through Galilee, a Jewish territory
in which Jesus has already encountered problems with the Pharisees.
Perhaps this is why Mark indicates that Jesus was trying to journey in
secret. In predicting his passion, Jesus is acknowledging the danger they
will face and is trying to preparing his disciples for it. Yet Mark tells
us that the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying and were
afraid to ask what he meant. Such hesitation on the part of the disciples
is not characteristic behavior. Peter had no fear about rebuking Jesus in
last week's Gospel. Perhaps this is an indication that the disciples were
aware that a new situation was emerging.

Mark paints a vivid picture in today's Gospel. Having arrived at
Capernaum, Jesus and his disciples enter a house. In this private place,
Jesus asks his disciples about the argument they had while they were
journeying. Again, the disciples are uncharacteristically silent and
afraid to answer. They have been found out. Jesus then summons the Twelve,
whom Mark identified earlier in his Gospel as those chosen by Jesus to
preach and to drive out demons. To this select group of disciples, Jesus
teaches that those who would be first in God's kingdom must be servants of
all.

Jesus then calls forward a child and teaches the Twelve that to receive a
child in Jesus' name is to receive both Jesus and the One who sent him. We
might easily fail to understand the significance of this action. In
first-century Palestine, children were without status or power, possessing
no legal rights. In this action, Jesus is teaching his disciples and us
that when we serve the least ones among us, we serve Jesus himself. Who
are the people without power or status in our society that Jesus is
calling us to serve? Do we do so willingly? Jesus teaches that God's
judgment of us will be based on this criterion alone.


Family Connection

Conversations such as the one described in today's Gospel are common in
family life. Perhaps these examples are familiar: "I should get the first
piece of cake because I am the youngest;" "I did the dishes yesterday;
someone else should do them today." How might we respond if Jesus asked
about our family arguments? What would Jesus say to us in reply? All of us
need the reminder found in today's Gospel: To be great in God's Kingdom is
to be the servant of all.

As you gather as a family, recall a recent family argument about household
chores or an example of bickering among family members. Talk about what
was at issue in the argument. Together imagine that Jesus entered the room
just as the argument ended. What would you tell Jesus your argument was
about? What might Jesus say in reply? Read together today's Gospel, Mark
9:30-37. How was your family argument like the argument among Jesus'
disciples? What might your family do to remember that those who are great
in God's kingdom are those who willingly serve others? Pray together that
your family life will reflect your commitment to serve one another with
love. Pray Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Prayer for Generosity.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings