Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
I’ve been thinking lately that the advice given in the Bible about how to live seems opposed to much of the advice that we are given by our 21st-century, Western culture. We are told by the world to pursue wealth, success, and power but justice and wisdom are not put forth as things worthy of our time or energy. The readings today emphasize the need for human beings to pursue the latter qualities if we are going to find favor with God.
The first reading for today is from the book of Sirach, which is part of the inter-testamental literature incorporated into the Bible and accepted by the Catholic Church as canonical. Sirach is one of the Old Testament books classified as wisdom literature. As such, its teachings are part of the moral tradition of the Old Testament that includes the Psalms and Proverbs. The book emphasizes the path to wisdom through the practice of justice—namely doing the right thing towards God and other human beings.
The reading from Sirach is a call to justice and an exhortation to follow the law. Sirach emphasizes how keeping the law can be an act of devotion to the Lord. He also emphasizes that devotion to the law should be a result of a genuine desire to do right before God and that it should be done with a joyful spirit. It strikes me that this emphasis on the spirit of the law carries over into the teachings of Jesus himself in later times.
The gospel reading, from Mark, reminds us that following Jesus is costly and involves sacrifice, but that it is worth this sacrifice. The passage makes more sense when it is read in the context of what comes before it. Jesus has just been talking about how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God. He states that it is very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom. I believe that this passage is meant to be read quite broadly and is not talking just about those who are wealthy. The take home message is that it is difficult for sinful human beings to enter the kingdom of God, but what looks impossible or very difficult to us is possible with God’s help. Peter then starts to argue with Jesus: haven’t he and many of Jesus’ other disciples “given up everything and followed” him? Jesus’ reply is to acknowledge that they have indeed made sacrifices for him. And he also promises that their sacrifices will be rewarded by God. But he also adds a warning: “many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
There are many implications of this statement, but striking to me is the connection to verses 23-25: we enter the kingdom of God by relying on God’s grace, allowing ourselves to be shaped by his love, and not through our own attempts to exalt ourselves. It seems to me that this is a good reading to reflect on in preparation for the beginning of Lent, which is coming up in a week. We have the opportunity to reflect on our own commitment to follow Jesus. What have we given up to follow him? More importantly, do we do what he commands us to do? Do we seek to do his will on a daily basis in our everyday lives? Do we seek to exalt ourselves or do we look for our fulfillment in him? These are some of the questions we can ask ourselves. Doing so has the potential to set us on a path to justice and wisdom.
-Joel Schickel