Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All, One theme that weaves through all three Readings this week is envy, one of the most hateful sins. The Old Testament Reading from the Book of Wisdom tells how people bring down a “just man” because he makes them feel inadequate (“is obnoxious to us”) by comparison. In the Second Reading from the Letter of James, envy (“Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist”) is identified as the source of conflicts and wars. And in Mark’s Gospel we see the disciples maneuvering for tops spot (“discussing among themselves”, “who was the greatest”). Envy is a desire for superiority that leads to satisfaction at the others downfall. Envy creates feeling of sadness at the others superiority. We all have experiences of envy, sometimes in ridiculous ways that torment us. The cure is repentance, often by recognizing our dependence, like Jesus teaches his disciples in this week’s Gospel, becoming like a little child, depending from God and from others. Dante in The Divine Comedy tells about a woman, Sapia, so filled with envy that she rejoiced at the downfall of her hometown, bringing bad fortune to those she envied. Sapia ends up in purgatory and the cure she undergoes involves her eyes being sealed and having her arm on the person ahead of her to find the way. Understanding deep in our souls our dependence on each other is one way to cure this ugly sin. Jesus’ teaching in this week’s gospel makes it crystal clear, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” We do remember Him doing so at the last supper when as the

undisputed leader of the group he washes each one of his disciple feet, even Peter who initially doesn’t get it. Am I getting it? Am I growing into a state inoculated against the hateful sin of envy?, by actively seeking to serve others and passively becoming like a child in recognizing my utter dependence on God and on others. The final encouragement the Jesus give his disciples, and us, is that by receiving a child in Jesus’ name we are receiving him and the One who sent him. Last Sunday I met with a friend in Shanghai who I hadn’t seen in over eight years. He and his wife are on assignment in China with their three teenage children. They are fostering a baby that was found in a garbage ground at only weeks of age. It needed surgery because of some external head tumor. The baby is now 9 months old, after successful surgery is growing healthy and is being offered for adoption. While reflecting on the last sentence of this week’s gospel I was encouraged by this real personal encounter with someone doing what Jesus taught us. Admiration, a total opposite to envy, is what I felt. The complete text of the readings at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/09/twenty-fifth-sunday-in-ordinary-time.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

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