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“The Miser”
by Hendrick Gerritsz Pot, 1640s |
Readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Isaiah 53:10-11
The LORD was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.
If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness
of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
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Commentary on Is 53:10-11
This fourth part of the “suffering servant” discourse takes up the topic of the value of suffering. It describes how the servant becomes the “sin offering,” a sacrifice in the Jewish tradition in atonement for sins. In this case we are told, “through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.” The Hebrew tradition holds up this passage as a clear reference to the Messiah. The image painted by these words portrays how Jesus came to fulfill the prophet’s promise as he offered his life, suffering and dying upon the cross.
CCC: Is 53:10-12 440, 615; Is 53:10 623; Is 53:11-12 601; Is 53:11 64, 579, 601, 623, 1502
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
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Commentary on Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Psalm 33 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. In this selection the emphasis is on faithfulness to God who has saving power combined with hope, a central component of faith in God. The sense of God’s adoption of his chosen ones is expressed as the singer rejoices in the interdependence of the people and God’s love.
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Reading II: Hebrews 4:14-16
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
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Commentary on Heb 4:14-16
In the Book of Hebrews, we hear the author comparing Christ to the Jewish high priest who is esteemed and pampered because of his rank. Jesus, on the other hand was tested and found to be sinless. Because the Lord has humbled himself (see Philippians 2:7-11), reaching out to us, we are confident of the great compassion the Lord provides and the endless mercy that will be extended to those who ask for aid.
"Let us adore Christ who emptied Himself to assume the condition of a slave. He was tempted in every way that we are but did not sin. Let us turn in prayer to Him, saying, 'You took on our human weakness. Be the eyes of the blind, the strength of the weak, the friend of the lonely'" ("Liturgy of the Hours", Christmas Day, Evening Prayer I).
CCC: Heb 4:14-15 1137; Heb 4:15 467, 540, 609, 612, 2602; Heb 4:16 2778
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Gospel
Longer Form: Mark 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"
They answered him, "Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
They said to him, "We can."
Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared."
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
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Commentary on Mk 10:35-45
Just prior to this Gospel passage Jesus makes the third prediction of the passion in St. Mark’s Gospel. The sons of Zebedee take this opportunity (thinking the time for Christ to come into glory was imminent) to ask for places of honor when he assumes his place. The Lord responds with the metaphors: "Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" These statements were symbolic of his passion and death. When the brothers respond in the affirmative, Jesus predicts that they will follow him in martyrdom, but that only God can give them the places of honor they request.
When the disciples become upset at James and John, Jesus uses the opportunity to explain “servant leadership.” Unlike secular leaders who autocratically order their subjects about, the servant leader comes to lead by example and service to those being led. He concludes by describing his own role: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
CCC: Mk 10:38 536, 1225; Mk 10:39 618; Mk 10:43-45 1551; Mk 10:45 608, 1570
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OR
Shorter Form: Mark 10:42-45
Jesus summoned the twelve and said to them,
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
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Commentary on Mk 10:42-45
The shorter form of the Gospel serves to explain “servant leadership.” Unlike secular leaders who autocratically order their subjects about, the servant leader comes to lead by example and service to those being led. He concludes by describing his own role: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
CCC: Mk 10:43-45 1551; Mk 10:45 608, 1570
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Reflection:
St. Mark brings into focus a characteristic unique to Christianity, the concept of servant leadership. At the time Jesus walked among us as man, when a person assumed a position of authority, generally achieved either through heredity, intense and often brutal competition, or some combination of the two, the mindset that accompanied that rise to power was self-interest.
The non-Christian leaders demanded single-minded loyalty from those subordinate to them. The moral code they followed provided rules for those they governed, supervised, or led, that did not apply to them. The purpose of their leadership had one goal; to make the leader as comfortable as possible and to ensure that every whim of the leader and their family could be met through the wealth and power amassed. In short, the motive for leadership was greed. Does this leadership style sound familiar?
It should, because as much as we would like to think that the Christian foundation of the United States of America has developed an enlightened leadership style and management practices with those underlying Christian principles of service to others and responsibility for those being led, what has evolved over the past 50 years is the same “pagan” leadership paradigm that has existed in different forms since before the time of Christ.
Today the modern industrial leader in publicly held companies, to keep his large salary and more importantly his stock options, must achieve one major goal. He or she must, on a quarterly basis, enhance shareholder equity. That means the people and institutions that hold the company’s shares of stock must be satisfied that the value of those shares does not just remain stagnant but goes up, the faster the better. And when that is all the leadership of a company cares about, essentially greed for themselves and the greed of the stockholders, every other Christian principle may be sacrificed. The good of the employees becomes secondary, the quality and utility of the product or service is also subservient to the “bottom line.”
This is not an indictment of capitalism, but it is an indictment of greed, and greed, unfortunately also has found its way into our political system as well. As our country has grown and our laws become more complex, the political leadership has also evolved. It became necessary to raise money to advertise a political candidate’s platform and those who contributed the money felt that the candidate owed them favors that were in their best interests. By this motivation toward self-interest, the natural outcome will be a government no longer based upon Christian morality but rather by the principles of secular humanism; exactly what we are seeing today.
Christian values in the political context were viable only as long as the people with money to support the candidates thought they were valuable. In today’s culture the successful candidate must be a master of compromise, and unfortunately greed drives them to compromise in ethical and moral areas that Christ would say has insured them a home in “Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9: 47-48)
James and John, although their motives were not for material greed, had desires for positions of honor in the heavenly kingdom (we assume they understood that Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world). The Lord took this as a moment when he needed to teach the disciples that among Christians, the ideology of greed must have no place. Using himself as an example he told them that with responsibility comes the need for humility, and leadership through example must be their model.
We pray today for those who have compromised, and we include ourselves in that prayer. May God help us to serve appropriately and may he also give us the grace to be served by him, the servant of all mankind.
Pax
In other years on October 20th: Optional Memorial for St Paul of the Cross, Priest
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “The Miser” by Hendrick Gerritsz Pot, 1640s.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] 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.
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