THE WORD
FIRST READING Nm 11: 25–29
The LORD then came down in the cloud and spoke to him. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, he bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied but did not continue. Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, had remained in the camp, yet the spirit came to rest on them also. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent; and so they prophesied in the camp. So, when a young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp,” Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses’ aide, said, “My lord, Moses, stop them.” But Moses answered him, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the people of the LORD were prophets! If only the LORD would bestow his spirit on them!”
SECOND READING Jas 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;f he offers you no resistance.
GOSPEL READING Mk 9:38–43.45.47–48
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. 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 it 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.’”
IN OTHER WORDS
A story from a confrere assigned to the SVD Southern Province tells about a seminarian who went to his summer apostolate. One day this seminarian and his host-father, an Aeta, went to the latter’s farm up the mountain. Because the journey was a little bit longer than usual, the seminarian felt hungry and asked his host-father if there was food available anywhere; luckily, along the way, they found a banana tree filled with ripe fruits. The host-father collected some of the fruits and they ate until they were satisfied. When they were about to continue their journey the seminarian asked his host-father to take all the bananas for them to bring home. To his surprise, the host father said, “No, there might be some other travelers like us who might be hungry; if they come upon this tree, they would have something to eat.”
There are people, we believe, who are not explicitly Christians, and yet they live a more Christian life than us. In the gospel, John might have been surprised by the words of Jesus, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Like John, many of us would like to claim that we are following God’s will and have the exclusivity of salvation. This attitude has caused intolerance and arrogance. Jesus, I believe, was aware of this tendency among his disciples and so he gave them a strong advice, “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.”
The host-father, an Aeta, knew very well how to show concern for other travelers. He acted more Christian than the seminarian. He was well aware of his interconnection with other people and with his environment. He consumed only what he needed and left the rest to others.
Contentment as a virtue seem to be vanishing. Our problems today, like graft and corruption, poverty and injustice, are but the result of the lack of contentment and satisfaction. Couple that with greed, envy, laziness and selfishness and we have a deadly mix. Everybody wants to have more than they need, more than they can consume. We want to possess everything and leave nothing to others. These are attitudes that do not fit a person who claims to be a “Christian.” The Lord taught us to share, to be generous, to be kind and charitable, to be humble and kind to others. The Lord taught us to become a “good Samaritan,” to help others in their needs, to heal the sick, to shelter those who are homeless, give food to the hungry, and tell the captives that they will receive liberty.
Let us choose the way that will lead to life and avoid the path that will lead to damnation or destruction. Let us be happy if we find people proclaiming the gospel of the Lord although they do not belong to our group. As the gospel passage today reminds us, “Whoever is not against us is for us.”
- Melencio Balay, Jr., SVD (CKMS, QC)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
