Gospel: Mark 10:35-45
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n Mark 10:32-34, Jesus and the disciples travel to Jerusalem. On the way, the Lord predicts "the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him and put him to death, but after three days he will rise." Through these words, Jesus makes clear to his friends what kind of messiah he is. He will suffer to free them from sin rather than lead them to military victory over their enemies and assume an earthly kingship. Despite this clarity which Jesus sought to impart to them, James and John are still confused about what Je- sus can give them. In Mark 10:35-45, they ask the Lord to give them honors in the earthly kingdom he will establish. Jesus responds to their ambition by explain- ing that his kingdom is not as they envision it and "to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." Jesus goes on to teach the disciples about how a Christian should rightly exercise authority in imitation of him. Mark 10:35-45 opens with St. Mark's note that the sons of Zebedee came to (Jesus)." The Catholic Bible Dictionary explains that Zebedee was "the father of the apostles James and John - and the husband of Sa- lome." The dictionary continues by stating that "Zebe- dee was a fisherman in Galilee with his sons and hired employees; they worked together with Simon Peter and Andrew." Thus, when James and John left to follow Jesus they stopped working in their family business and could no longer assist their father. Perhaps they recognized the great cost of their decision to follow Je- sus and this was part of the reason they sought honors from him. In Mark 10:37, James and John spell out what they want from the Lord, namely to sit "at your right and the other at your left." The footnotes on this passage in The Sacra Pagina Scripture Commentary on The Gospel of Mark explain that here "it is hard to know whether James and John are evoking the image of the messi- anic banquet or that of the heavenly throne room." The footnotes continue to state that "the disciples' willing- ness to ignore the content of Jesus' very detailed Passion prediction reveals the depth of their misunderstanding of him." Jesus' responds to the mis- guided ambition of the sons of Zebedee by asking them: Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" The footnotes on this passage in The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Tes- tament tell us the meaning of Jesus' question. They explain that the cup Jesus mentions is a reference to Jesus' forth- coming suffering. The Old Testament uses this image to depict the misery that God compels the unfaithful to drink. Although Jesus is innocent and pure, He con- sumes the cup that was filled for sinners." Jesus' reference to "baptism" refers to immersion in trial and suffering." Boldly, in Mark 10:39, James and John affirm to Jesus that they can, in fact, "drink the cup" that he's describing to them which will lead then to high places in heaven. The footnotes in The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible go on to state that historically James and John will "encounter persecution in the early Church. The New Testament recounts the martyrdom of James in Acts 12:2 and the exile of John in Rev. 1:9." The passage concludes in verses 42-45. In this sec- tion, Jesus explains that Christians in authority must act as servants of those entrusted to them in imitation of Jesus' Passion and great love. May our prayerful con- sideration of Mark 10:35-45 help us to understand that holiness and true charity bring us to eternal gain. Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16 or we do not have a high priest who is un- able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin." Indeed, we human beings are fundamen- tally weak! As much as we strive to live good and righteous lives, we frequently succumb to temptation and fall short of our personal goals and God-given expectations. Jesus is well aware of our inherent weak- ness for he, too, was conceived a human. St. Paul writes of Christ: "He took on flesh, being born in the likeness of men." (Phil 2: 7) He knows our personal struggles with the forces of evil around us because he, too, had to fight the same spiritual battles that we face. The author of the letter to the Hebrews clearly tells us that Christ "sympathizes with our weakness." Jesus re- spects our efforts and good intentions. The author em- phasizes the compassion and understanding of Jesus who is ever aware of what we are going through. Temptation for us is a "given" on the spiritual jour- ney. It's always there. In 1 Peter 5: 6, St. Peter writes: Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Peter describes the evil one, as a vicious lion, waiting to devour and de- stroy the faithful. It seems in life that the holier one is, the stronger and more frequent are the temptations. At the very beginning of his public ministry, Jesus confronted the forces of evil head-on. It represents a significant choice for God. According to the Gospel tra- dition, Jesus was tempted three times by the evil one while alone and fasting in the desert (Mt. 4: 1-11). The three temptations represent the following: hedonism; egoism and materialism. These three temptations aptly represent what we as modern-day Christians are continually up against - the desire for pleasure; the quest for fame and power; and the desire for wealth and earthly goods. All these desires are extremes. St. John in his epistle describes these as "lust of the eyes" (materialism); lust of the body (hedonism) and "pride of life" (egoism). They choke the heart and lead us away from our center, God. Traditionally, Catholic the- ology taught that the three sources of temptation for believers are: "the world, the flesh and the devil."(Peter Abelard) Every Christian regularly faces these three adversaries. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, St. Paul writes, "No temptation has overcome you that is not common to man." God's grace is always within our reach to over- come them. In our epistle selection today, Jesus is referred to as a great high priest." The ad- dition of the adjective "great" emphasizes that Jesus is superior to the high priest of the Jewish temple. As the true high priest, Jesus intercedes for us in our weak- ness. He pleads our cause before the merciful Father. Well does he know the human condition! This requires confidence and trust on our part: "So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help." Our Gospel reading today (Mk. 10: 35-45) has a slight connection to our epistle. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are vying for positions of importance and status in Jesus' kingdom. Clearly, they were missing the mark, for his kingdom is fundamentally a spiritual one. The temptation toward greatness was there.
His suffering frees us from sin Do not let us fall into temptation'
OCTOBER 15, 2021 THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS
COMMENTARY 5
SUNDAY'S GOOD NEWS Father Michael N. Lavallee REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE Father Conrad S. Pecevich
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FUNDAMENTALS OF CATHOLICISM I
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fter his Resurrection from the dead, Jesus mani- fested himself to his disciples in different ways and on different occasions. He appeared to Mary Magdalene and at first she thought he was the gardener (Jn 20:11-20). He appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. During their walk and conversation they did not recognize him, but when he broke bread for them they knew that it was the Lord (Lk 24:13-35). There was something hauntingly mysterious about Jesus' appearances after his Resurrection. The Gospels give testimony that Jesus did indeed return to life on Eas- ter Sunday, but to a life that was much different. It is the same Jesus, but now he appears suddenly inside the up- per chamber, "the doors being shut" (Jn 20:19). We do not really know what the qualities of the resurrected body are, but from the Gospel accounts it does seem that Jesus' body possesses power over material things in a way that is beyond our experience and knowledge. We know that two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Still, the glorified Jesus passes through walls like light through a window. He is able to converse and associate with disciples who knew him well, such as Mary Magdalene and the two men on the way to Emmaus, but he does not allow them to recognize him. This means he can let them see him but they can recognize him only if he so wills. Again, this shows that Jesus has power over his body that vastly exceeds anything we are familiar with, except perhaps in the creative imagination of sci- ence fiction. One conclusion that follows from the Gospel accounts of the appearances of Jesus is that matter has capabilities that modern man, whether scientist or not, knows noth- ing about. In order to confirm the faith of his disciples in his Resurrection, Jesus had to convince them that it was really he. All four Gospels mention the Resurrection, and each gives some details regarding the appearances (cf. Mk 28; Mk 16; Lk 24; Jn 20-21). First of all, they recognized him in his physical appearance his body was the same body, though transformed, that they had known during the preceding three years. Thomas doubted, so the Lord said to him: "Put your finger here and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side; do not be faith- less, but believing" (Jn 20:27). To all the assembled disciples, he said: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have" (Lk 24:39). Jesus also showed that he was the same person by his mannerisms the way he spoke, his tone of voice, that way he ate and drank and broke bread. By these and other signs he proved to them that it was really he and that he was now enjoying a completely new and different kind of life. It is difficult for man to believe in the resurrection of his body, and there are many today, including some Christians, who do not believe it. Death is all around us and there is a terribly finality about it. Jesus had foretold his Resurrection, but his followers had not grasped it. Thomas would not believe it even after the other 10 Apos- tles had seen the risen Lord. He demanded special proofs. Because of this innate difficulty for man to believe in the Resurrection, Jesus went to great lengths to establish the reality of his Resurrection for his Apostles. He showed them some aspects of his glory, but not all of it. For if he had shown the fullness of his glory, it would have been too overpowering for them and they would have been tempted to think that it as not the same Jesus they had walked with on the dusty paths of Judea and Galilee. Thus, by his many appearances and his gentle ways, Jesus aroused and confirmed the faith of his Apostles in his Resurrection. They knew it was the same Lord now living a new, glori- fied life. NEXT WEEK: THE COSMIC EFFECTS OF JESUS' RESURRECTION : We know from the revelation brought to us by Jesus Christ what the source of all man's problems is: it is sin."
The glorified body of Jesus
BY FATHER KENNETH BAKER, SJ
CATHOLIC QUIZI
Copyright by CatholicQuiz.com - Reproduce for educational use
CatholicQuiz of the Week 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 17, 2021 1. What is characteristic of Isaiah's "servant of the Lord?"
a. power b. suffering c. eloquence
2. About whom does Isaiah speak when he says, Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days?"
a. King David b. the suffering servant c. himself, the propahet
3. According to the psalmist, "May your _____, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you."
a. power b. mercy c. strength
4. According to Hebrews, who is our high priest?
a. Melchizedek b. Aaron c. Jesus
5. Jesus, as high priest, is able to sympathize with our _____.
a. weakness b. strength c. misery
6. Which of Jesus' disciples seemed overly ambitious for reward?
a. Andrew and Simon b. James and John c. Philip and Bartholomew
7. Jesus told his disciples that in order to be great they must become _____.
a. good speakers b. faith healers c. servants
Answers and References
1 b. suffering (Isaiah 53:1-12) 2 b. the suffering servant (Isaiah 53:11) 3 b. mercy (Psalm 33:22) 4 c. Jesus (Hebrews 4:14) 5 a. weakness (Hebrews 4:15) 6 b. James and John (Mark 10:35-45) 7 c. servants (Mark 10:43)
THE CREED
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