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“Mammon”
from Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal, 1818 |
Readings for Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1 James 5:1-6
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
your gold and silver have corroded,
and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;
it will devour your flesh like a fire.
You have stored up treasure for the last days.
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers
who harvested your fields are crying aloud;
and the cries of the harvesters
have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;
you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
You have condemned;
you have murdered the righteous one;
he offers you no resistance.
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Commentary on Jas 5:1-6
The author reminds his audience of the importance of building up spiritual riches, rather than secular wealth. This passage could be a commentary on the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (see Luke 16:19-31). The transitory nature of wealth is decried (“Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded”), and God’s coming justice for the poor is predicted (“the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts”).
“The note that reverberates through this section is one of prophetic denunciation and reproof against a background of divine retribution. The writer has already embarked on his tirade of warning against the people whom he regards as godless and foolish (4:6–17). In setting before his readers the perils to which they are exposed he has his sights trained on the sins of pride (vv 6–10, 16) and the defamation of fellow Christians (vv 11–12). He turns next to confront the merchant classes whose cardinal mistake is that of presumption and pretended mastery over the uncertainties of life (vv 13–17).” [4]
CCC: Jas 5:1-6 2445; Jas 5:4 1867, 2409, 2434
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 49:14-15ab, 15cd-16, 17-18, 19-20
R. (Matthew 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
This is the way of those whose trust is folly,
the end of those contented with their lot:
Like sheep they are herded into the nether world;
death is their shepherd and the upright rule over them.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Quickly their form is consumed;
the nether world is their palace.
But God will redeem me
from the power of the nether world by receiving me.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Fear not when a man grows rich,
when the wealth of his house becomes great,
For when he dies, he shall take none of it;
his wealth shall not follow him down.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed,
“They will praise you for doing well for yourself,”
He shall join the circle of his forebears
who shall never more see light.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
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Commentary on Ps 49:14-15ab, 15cd-16, 17-18, 19-20
Psalm 49 (a “wisdom psalm”) echoes, in these strophes, the hellish fate of the unjust rich. Like Ecclesiastes (see Ecclesiastes 1;2ff) and the letter of St. James (James 5:1-6), the psalmist explains that the wealth of this earth cannot be taken into the next.
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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 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.”
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Commentary on Mk 9:41-50
In this passage, Jesus finishes his warning to the disciples against jealousy and intolerance toward others. Having said that, he warns that those who call people to faith in him, even if they do not walk with the disciples, are friends. He speaks of those who would lead the people away from him, again using the “little child” as a symbol of the weak in spirit and the poor. Those that mislead, or who are tempted to do so, should resist such temptation at any price, or they will find an eternal punishment waiting for them. The Lord makes this warning using a paraphrase from Isaiah 66:24.
“The Fathers see, in these references to hands and eyes and so forth [vv. 43-48], people who are persistent in evil and ever-ready to entice others to evil behavior and erroneous beliefs. These are the people we should distance ourselves from, so as to enter life, rather than accompany them to hell (St Augustine, "De Consensu Evangelistarum", IV, 16; St John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St Matthew", 60).” [5]
The final verse speaks of salt, using the analogy of purifying and preserving food. The word of Christ will have the same effect, that is, purifying and preserving the believer.
CCC: Mk 9:43-48 1034
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Reflection:
There are those who would say that Holy Scripture, properly used, should always be “uplifting.” Today instead we get a reality check. When we hear that God will deal harshly with the unjust rich, those who covet their wealth and ignore the plight of those less fortunate, we are forced to examine our own circumstances. We, who live in the richest nation on earth, must constantly be vigilant not to allow wealth to become the motive for what we do. As Scripture points out, there are unpleasant consequences.
It is easy to fall into that trap of serving wealth instead of God. Our society praises those who are able to gain great wealth. Likewise, society tends to turn a blind eye on those who abuse wealth and the power that comes with it. Our children are exposed to these misguided values (“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”), and it is sometimes tempting to rationalize that, by focusing on the accumulation of wealth, we can do more good with the money we hoard.
Look at the transcripts from a recent exchange between corporate executives of the oil companies and the Senate Energy Committee (when gas prices were very high in the US). They were asked how they could continue to justify huge profits while the people are suffering because of high gas prices. Their response was that they are forcing the country to become better at conserving those energy resources. Even a firm believer in the free enterprise system would agree that sometimes things get out of hand.
The Gospel mandate is clear. While we are called to use the gifts God gives us to provide for ourselves and our families, we must constantly be on guard against allowing our search for prosperity to override the need to express God’s love to those with less. Our prayer today is a simple one: God help the prosperity of the work of our hands for your greater glory, and may what we do help those less fortunate, that they too might know their loving Father and His Son, Jesus.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Mammon” from Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal, 1818.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ralph P. Martin, James, vol. 48, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1988), 182.
[5] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 274.
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