Jealousy and Greed, from Discontentment due to Innner Insecurity, Have No Place in the Discipleship - Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Insecure attachment to God, resulting in fragile faith in Him, tends to result in jealousy and greed. These two psychologically pathological factors are addressed in the Scripture readings of the 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B (Numbers 11:25-29; Psalm 19:8, 9b,10, 12–14; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-8).

Jealousy is addressed in the First Reading (Numbers 11:25-29) and the Gospel Reading (Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-8), while problem of greed is addressed in the Second Reading (James 5:1-6). And we find remedy to these problems in Responsorial Psalm (19:8, 9b,10, 12–14), reminding that it is God’s Law that gives joy to those who are faithful to Him. This means that those who fall to the vices of jealousy and greed do not revere God and appreciate what He gives, represented with His Law, in this context. In other words, those who truly appreciate what God provides are psychologically secure, thus, being satisfied with God’s providence (Psalm 23:1-6). As sheep fully trust in their shepherd, we have steadfast faith in Christ, who is our Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14). And if this is truly the case with us, then, we have no reason to complain because we are not jealous of what others have and be greedy. S we are content and joyful (Philippians 4:10-13).

In the First Reading (Numbers 11:25-19), we see Joshua complaining to Moses about two elders, Eldad and Medad, to forbid them from prophesizing, because God also gave them the spirit transpired from Moses, even though they did not come out of the tent, while the rest of the elders who received the spirit, were outside the camp, as called by Moses. It was like Joshua sayin. g, “Moses, my lord, it’s not fair that Eldad and the other Medad also received your spirit and began prophesizing!” In response, however, Moses admonished Joshua for making such a complaint, sensing that it came out of Joshua’s jealousy. So, Moses said to Joshua:

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! (Numbers 11:29).

Ironically, this complaint of Joshua was projected to what God did in response to Moses’ complaint to God about the burden of shepherding constantly complaining Israelites (Numbers 11:11-15). After leaving Sinai, the Israelites complained again (Number 11:1-10), as they did before (Exodus 15:22-27;16:1-7, 11-12; 17:1-7; 32:1).  And their complaints really wore Moses down, and he cried out to God.

In response to Moses’ complaint, God instructed him to gather seventy elders to the camp and promised him to put some of his spirit on them (Numbers 11:16-23). So, Moses brought seventy elders around the tent (Numbers 11:24). Then, God came down in the cloud and spoke to them, and putting the spirit from Moses on them, and they temporarily prophesized (Numbers 11:25).

This transfer of some of the spirit from Moses to the seventy elders took place outside the camp. While this was happening, Eldad and Medad, remained inside the camp. But they also actually received the spirit and began prophesizing. (Numbers 11:26). And obviously, out of jealousy, as Moses put it, Joshua thought it was not fair and complained to Moses (Numbers 11:27-28).

Joshua was very faithful to God and Moses. Yet, his imperfection manifested in complaining about what he thought as unfair that Eldad and Medad received the spirit and prophesized, thought they did not come out the camp as the rest of the elders did to receive the spirit from Moses by God.

In the Gospel Reading (Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-8), we see John complaining to Jesus about a person exercising in his name, though this person was not one of the disciples and did not stop when they tried (v. 38). This is like Joshua’s complaint about Eldad and Medad (Numbers 11:27-28). So it is likely out of jealousy. And Jesus’ response to John’s complaint (Mark 9:39-41) is similar to Moses’ response to Joshua (Numbers 11:29). So Jesus said to John:

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 (Mark 9:39-41).

This was a moment of John’s learning curve about ministering in Jesus’ name. Through these words, Jesus taught that anyone (v. 41) who does what he commands is considered to be his disciples, even though they are not among the twelve disciples. If they see persons, to whom they perm mighty deeds in Jesus’ name, belong to Christ, then, they are rather considered to be the twelve disciples’ coworkers in Jesus’ pastoral work, not as opponents or competitors, to be stopped or eliminated.

But Jesus also described who are to be condemned, and these are those who cause people who belong to him to sin (Mark 9:42-43, 45, 47-48).

In Mark 9, verses 44 and 46 are not found. A likely reason for this is that these verses were removed because they were not found in the original Greek text but added by scribes.

Like Joshua and John, we also complain out of jealousy. In fact, we complain when our pursuit of desire is disrupted, frustrated for not having what we want. Then, when we find it in others, we become jealous of them. Psychologically, we are more likely to complain out of jealousy if we are internally insecure (Bowlby, 1982)*. Internal insecurity also contributes to greed (Chen, 2018)**, against which Jesus speaks in the Second Reading (James 5:1-6).

We may not be aware of covert jealousy when we complain.

Both jealousy and envy are emotions of discontentment. Compared to envy, jealousy tends to manifest with hostility. Primary emotion behind the plot to have Jesus killed was religious leaders’ envy (i.e. Matthew 27:18), manifested in hostile jealousy to set up false witnesses (e.g. Matthew 26:59-63) and conspire the Roman authority to kill him (i.e. John 18:28-40). Envy festers into jealousy and resentment.

To prevent this problem, we must be securely attached to God (John 15:4) so that we are always content and joyful as reflected in the Responsorial Psalm ( 19:8, 9b,10, 12–14) and Psalm 23.

*Bowlby J. (1982). Attachment and loss: retrospect and prospect. Am. J. Orthopsychiatry 52, 664–678. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.1982.tb01456.x

**Chen, B. (2018). An evolutionary life history approach to understanding greed. Personality and Individual Differences, 127, 74-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.02.006

Steadfast Faith and Impartial Selfless Faith-Driven Love of Neighbors: Ss. Damian and Cosmas

On September 26, the Roman Catholic Church honors Ss. Damian and Cosmas, who were twin brothers, practicing medicine in the Roman province of Cilicia in the third century. It was when being Christianity and helping Christian meant to be arrested and killed throughout the Roman Empire. Damian and Cosmas were captured, tortured, and executed, for being Christian.

Both the First Reading (Wisdom 3:1-9) and the Gospel Reading (Matthew 10:28-33) of these twin Saints’ memorial reflect their steadfast faith, tested through persecution, resulting in their martyrdom.

Under persecution, it may look “foolish” to keep the faith, because it comes with a high fatal risk. It would be “smarter” to apostatize and live. And that is how the worldly “wisdom” teaches.

If faith is not genuine and strong enough, it cannot be sustained under persecution. Those whose faith is not steadfast are likely to fall to a “smart” option to save their earthly lives, forfeiting eternal life. In the eyes of God, there is nothing “foolish” about it. So, Jesus said:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28).

The one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna refers to Satan and its agents permeated throughout the world, tempting us with “smart” and “easy” way to save bodily lives at the expense of soul, which is the seat of eternal life. The true faith cannot be swayed by temptations caused by the one who can destroy both soul and body in a hellish place where garbage was dumped and burned, known as Gehenna.

Exemplary faith, which resulted in martyrdom is one thing about Damian and Cosmas. Another admirable thing about these twin Saints is their genuine practice of agape, selfless love. These twin physicians never accepted payment from their patients.  So were known as “silverless ones”.

Keeping faith is one thing but putting the faith in practice of love, which Jesus commanded (John 13:34-35) is another. Otherwise, the faith is as good as dead (i.e. James 2:14-26).

In fact, faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9), and love is one aspect of the multifaceted fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Among faith, hope, and love, love is the greatest (1 Corinthians 13:13), as it makes all our virtues worth practicing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). In other words, faith without love is not functional (i.e. Galatians 5:6).

The faith of Damian and Cosmas was truly through the Holy Spirit, bore abundant fruit of love, through their works of mercy in compassion for their sick brothers and sisters in Christian communities. Because their medical care was genuinely motivated by faith, they did not charge for their services at all. And they made sure nobody was left without their care because of socioeconomic status and other social factors. In fact, their faith-driven compassionate medical works reflects these words of Jesus:

Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me (Mark 9:37).

As children were regarded as “nobodies” in Palestine during the time of Jesus. They were rather “invisible” in the society, and it is particularly the case with orphans. Because children were not regarded as deserving dignity, practice of child sacrifice to pagan deities was rather uncommon (e.g. Jeremiah 7:31). But Jesus drew the disciples’ attention to a child, whom the society regarded as “nobody”, and taught them to welcome the child, as it means to welcome Jesus and the Father who sent him in our midst. In other words, Jesus was teaching the disciples to care for those who have been marginalized and ignored, such as the poor, the sick, and so forth, represented by the little child whom Jesus put in the disciples’ midst.

This teaching is further addressed by Jesus in the eschatological and soteriological context:

Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me (Matthew 25:34-36).

Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).

Those who took noticed of the presence of their marginalized brothers and sisters  and cared for them, are blessed by the Father, as it really means to receive Christ and the Father who sent him to us. And Ss. Damian and Cosmas have been blessed by the Father for their faith-driven compassionate works of care to "these least", represented by the little child whom Jesus placed in his disciples' midst. 

In the faith-driven medical service works of Ss. Damiana and Cosmas, “these least brothers and sisters”, were take care, just as well as, those with wealth and status. There is no partiality (i.e. James 2:1-9) in the love demonstrated in the wors of faith by Damian and Cosmas, as God shows no partiality (i.e. Acts 10:34; Romans 2:9). Thus, their medical care was given to anyone just as the Good Samarital took care of a stranger (Luke 10:30-37).

Steadfast faith, not only withstood through persecution but also demonstrated in impartial works of love for neighbrs,  characterize Ss. Damian and Cosmas.

Words of Agur for a Mission Lesson - Wednesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

 What do you make out of Proverb 30:5-9 and Luke 9:1-6?

This was a question I asked during my Wednesday Bible teaching, as the former is the First Reading and the latter is the Gospel Reading of Wednesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year II.

The First Reading (Proverbs 30:5-9) is taken from Agur’s oracle (Proverbs 30).

Agur is son of Jakeh,  the Massaite. As “Massa” is one of the offspring of Ishmael (Genesis 25:14), he can be a descendant of Jacob’s twin brother. Ishmael. The place, “Massa” is located in northern Arabia. But the Hebrew word, “massa”( מַשָּׂא), means “a load, burden, lifting, bearing, tribute”.  Then, it makes sense that Agur was weary (Proverbs 30:1). But, he was not just a man feeling burdened of whatever the heavy load that he had to carry but seeing God and His wisdom humbly, acknowledging his ignorance, believing in Him and trusting His Word to thrive in carrying his burden (Proverbs 30:1-9).

In the First Reading (Proverbs 30:5-9), we see Agur’s total trust in God and His grace. This is comparable to the Sucipe prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises 234, which seeks nothing but God’s grace, humbly acknowledging it is enough, while asking to remove everything that may distract him form trusting in God and being satisfied with His grace alone. For Agur, God’s Word is the kind of grace he needed. And he knew the Word brings wisdom, besides the strengths to carry his life’s load, which may be a cross that he carry, as taught by Jesus upon denying self (Matthew 16:24//Mark 8:34). Agur certainly denied himself for belittling himself (i.e. Proverbs 30:1-6).

Now, connecting the First Reading (Proverbs 30:5-9) to the Gospel Reading (Luke 9:1-6), we can see Agur as an exemplary figure to be sent on a mission, as this Gospel Reading is about Jesus sending his twelve disciples on mission with instructions.

In sending the disciples, Jesus said, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic”(Luke 9:3). In other words, Jesus was saying that they go on mission only with what they absolutely needed and bring nothing else, because anything “extra” may distract them from their missionary tasks. This corresponds to these words of humble Agur, “Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need; Lest, being full, I deny you, saying, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the name of my God”(Proverbs 30:8-9).

Agur humbly acknowledged that it is God who is the reason of his existence. Therefore, he asked only what he absolutely needed to make sure his eyes remained fixed in Him. The food he needed, in this context, is His refined and pure Word. He certainly understood that humans, being created by Him, cannot live with bread alone but what comes out of His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3; cf. Matthew 4:4). And the Word, along with the Holy Spirit, comes out of God’s mouth.

As Jesus said, going on mission is to proclaim to evangelize and to bring healing to those whom they come in contact with (Luke 9:6). For this, one on mission certainly needs the Word, which speaks the good news and can heal. In fact, the Word gives life, as it comes out of Jesus, as it is the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 6:63). Therefore, a mission cannot be accomplished without carrying and bringing the Word. And we make sure the Word we carry on our respective missions is kept pure, not being tampered (i.e. Proverbs 30:6; cf. Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Revelations 22:18-19).

Jesus understood that not everyone his disciples bring the Word to proclaim the good news and to bring healing welcomes them and accept the Word. So he said:

As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them (Luke 9:5).

Shaking the dust from feet was certainly a testimony against those who do not accept, as it was a custom of Jesus’ time in Palestine. It’s like sarcastically saying, “Thank you very little for your hospitality”.  But, according to Most Rev. Mark Bartosic, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, this can also mean that Jesus was instructing the disciples not to carry negative feeling toward those who reject and unwelcomed them, as they leave their houses. This way, the disciples are not affected by any previous negative experience when they reach out to new hosts, so that the Word they carry (massa) remains pure, not contaminated by their negative emotions from previous hosts. And this reminds me of my hospital chaplain training, being instructed not to carry any negative feeling from “bad” patient as I reach out to another patient, by “washing off” such feeling as I leave “bad” patient’s room.

Commanding to Serve People with Humility and Care for the Least upon the Second Foretelling of Jesus' Passion, Death, and Resurrection - Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

The Gospel Reading of the 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, Mark 9:30-37, has two themes: Jesus foretelling his passion, death, and resurrection for the second time (vv.30-32) and teaching on humble servantship and compassion for the vulnerable in response to the disciples’ argument on who the greatest among them is (vv.33-37). The first part of the Gospel Reading (Mark 9:30-32) echoes the First Reading (Wisdom 2:12, 17-20), in which Christ, in his suffering, is reflected, and the second part of the Gospel Reading (Mark 9:33-37) corresponds to the Second Reading (James 3:16-4:3), in which James speaks against selfish passion for ambition.

In the Gospel Reading of the previous Sunday, the 24^th Sunday, Mark 8:27-35, Jesus foretold his passion, death, and resurrection, directly to his disciples for the first time, upon Peter’s correct identification of Jesus as the Christ. But then, Peter protested the prospect of the Christ’s suffering and death and rebuked by Jesus for that. Following this, Jesus spoke of self-denial and carrying a cross as necessary conditions for the discipleship.

The Gospel Reading of this Sunday, the 25^th Sunday, Mark 9:30-37, begins with Jesus’ second foretelling of his passion, death, and resurrection. Then, it describes how the disciples reacted to this.

Again, only to his disciples, Jesus prophesized his own suffering, death, and resurrection, after doing so in Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:31). So Jesus said:

The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise (Mark 9:31).

Hearing the prospect of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, again, the disciples did not know what to make out of it and were afraid to ask him a question about it (Mark 3:32).

Why were they unable to understand and ask Jesus to explain what he meant by being handed over to be tortured and killed but would rise after three days?

The disciples could not yet understand the salvific Paschal Mystery of Jesus, perhaps, they were not able to see his suffering, death, and resurrection, in the fourth servant song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) in deutero-Isaiah (40-55). Probably, it was because they were caught up with an impression that the Christ would be the victorious king to rule all nations on earth from Jerusalem (i.e. Zechariah 9:9-10). To a typical human mind, a triumphant messianic king of Israel is not a one to be handed over to his enemies and killed by them. Rather, it was him, who would conquer them for his reign of peace. But even it was puzzling to them, why the disciples did not ask Jesus to explain about being handed over and killed by men but rise after three days?

To put it simply, the disciples were abashed to ask Jesus a question. Then, why would they feel embarrassed to ask a question on such an important and serious matter about Jesus?

It is likely that what made them ashamed to ask a question was their covert pride, as shame and price are basically two sides of the same coin (Beall & Tracy, 2020)*. And we see how their hidden pride manifested in their behaviors on their way to Capernaum, after being told of Jesus’ forthcoming suffering, death, and resurrection.

As they were moving to Capernaum, the disciples were arguing among themselves who was the greatest, but they remailed silent when Jesus confronted and asked them what they were arguing (Mark 9:33-34).

Rather than being concerned for Jesus on what he just foretold about his passion, death, and resurrection, they were preoccupied with their own self-consciousness, which was the first consequence of Original Sin (Genesis 3:1-13). And their covert pride was manifesting in their selfish ambition to be the greatest.

Then, Jesus knocked the disciple’s pride off, saying:

If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all (Mark 9:35).

Furthermore, pulling a child to his side (Mark 9:36), and said:

Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me (Mark 9:37).

These statements make it obvious that Jesus wanted his disciples to be first leaders of his Church. But he did not want them to keep their pride inside, because pride of leaders corrupt the Church, as it is comparable to the yeast of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:6//Mark 8:15//Luke 12:1). So, Jesus demands the disciples to be the last ones among the people, being the least among them, and serve them, in order to be leaders of his Church. It is, indeed, the servant leadership, which he taught them through his own example by washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20). And he also commanded them to care for those who were seem as the least, as represented by the child, whom he took to his side, because receiving the least among people with care means receiving not only him but also the Father who sent him. It is so because he and the Father as one consubstantially (John 10:30), for he is in Him, and Him in him (John 10:38). In fact, this is echoed by these words of Jesus to the disciples at the conclusion of his teaching of the servant leadership by washing their feet:

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me (John 13:20).

Furthermore, this teaching is echoed more sternly by these words of Jesus against the self-righteous whose pride blinded them to the presence of the least among people, namely, the presence of Christ in the poor, vulnerable, marginalized:

And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.” Then they will answer and say, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?” He will answer them, “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.” And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:40-46).

It was the disciples’ furtive pride that blinded them from the Christological truth in Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, when he foretold. It was their covert pride that kept them from asking Jesus a question to understand this truth when they did not understand. And it was this pride in themselves, manifesting in their selfish ambitions to be the greatest among them, keeping their minds away from Jesus upon his second foretelling of his passion, death, and resurrection. To snap this pride, Jesus taught the importance of humble servantship and care for the least among people. Because it also means to care not only Christ but also the Father who sent him.

There is a Japanese company that requires newly hired college graduate workers to perform janitorial tasks, including cleaning toilets, during their new employee orientation. Janitorial tasks are not in their job description. They are not hired as the company’s cleaning staff. Nevertheless, all new employees have to perform janitorial works, to perform the tasks on their job descriptions.

Why does this company mandate its new employees to do cleaning jobs during the orientation?

It is because managers must know and understand the service behind the clean work environment. They should not take the cleanliness at work for granted.

If you know what it was like to clean toilet, because you have done it, you sure become a manager who treats cleaning staff with appreciation and great care for their needs. But if you have no experience as a cleaning staff, you are at risk of treating them as if they were invisible.

Pay attention in your own work environment to see how many workers, especially managers, at least say hello to cleaning staff. Perhaps, only a few say “Hello” and “Thank you”.  To those who say nothing, the cleaning staff were not seen as their work team members. In many cases, these cleaning crews are not your company employees but contract workers set by an outsourcing company.

In this company, CEO himself occasionally joins its cleaning crews, mopping floors, taking trash out, and cleaning toilets. In fact, he is very good at cleaning toilets, because he has been doing it since he or she was hired.

And the company’s cleaning staff are not dispatched from an outsourcing company on contract. They are the company’s official employees because they are valued team members. In this company, there is no need to have a union because the management treat all its team members, including its cleaning staff, justly and well.

This company’s corporate culture reflects the idealistic Church, as Jesus has envisioned in his words to the disciples to serve humbly and to care for the least among people in order to be the leaders of his Church (Mark 9:35, 37).

When Jesus foretold of his passion, death, and resurrection for the first time, Peter protested and was rebuked for this (Mark 8:31-33). And he taught self-denial and carrying a cross as necessary conditions of the discipleship (Mark 8:34-35). When he spoke of the prospect of his suffering, death, and resurrection, for the second time, the disciples did not understand what this meant but argued who would be the greatest among them because they were afraid to ask a question, because of their pride (Mark 9:30-34). In response, Jesus commanded them to serve people with humility and to care for the least among them, in order to be their leaders (Mark 9:35-37).

After all, Jesus exemplifies the humble servantship, and this is why Paul calls us to be like him:

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesu every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11).

Indeed, Jesus suffered and died in humility, and now we are called to be humble servant like him with our attention for the least among us to care.

 

* Beall, A.T. & Tracy,  J.L. (2020). The Evolution of Pride and Shame. In: Workman L, Reader W, Barkow J.H,, eds. The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behavior. Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology. Cambridge University Press;179-193.

Christ as the Suffering Servant and Meaning of Our Discipleship of the Christ – Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

The entire humanity needs the Christ (Messiah), the one anointed by God, to redeem the humanity’s original purity, which has been compromised by the fall of Adam and Eve. In fact, God had already made it clear about the coming of the Christ to destroy Satan, who tempted Adam and Eve to fall (i.e. Genesis 3:15). During Exodus, Moses also foretold the coming of the Christ (Messiah), as a prophet like him (Deuteronomy 18:15-22). The Israelites knew that he would come as a great light to turn name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace, to rule the world (Isaiah 9:1-6). Also, they knew his coming would also mean the judgement (Malachi 3:2-5,20-21 NABRE). But, who among the Israelites would have thought that the Messiah (Christ), the anointed by God, would be handed over to pagan authorities by their own religious leaders to be tortured and killed but raised from the dead on the third day from his death?

Probably, nobody, as they rather preferred to stick to a kingly image of their Messiah (Christ) for restoration of Israel and for just and prosperous dominion of the world (Zechariah 9:9-17), unless they interpreted that the four servant sons in the Book of Prophet Isaiah (42:1-7; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12) refer to the Messiah.

Certainly, any of them could easily figure out that the Messiah would come as Israel’s holy redeemer to restore Israel, be alight for the Gentiles, and to bring salvation to all the ends of the earth in the first two servant songs (42:1-7; 49:1-6). But, how could they imagine the redemptive Messiah would endure suffering, inflicted by unrighteous people and be put to death by them, as reflected in the last two servant songs (50:4-9; 52:13-53:12)?

As evidenced in the Gospel Reading (Mark 8:27-35), certainly, Peter just could not imagine that the Messiah (Christ) would have to suffer and die, though, to be raised. Otherwise, how he would be rebuked rather so harshly by Jesus for protesting his foretelling of his suffering, death, and resurrection (Mark 8:31-33)?

Jesus has been in public for more than a year at the time when he asked his disciples how he had been seen in public and who they thought he was (Mark 8:27-29a). And it was Peter who identified Jesus as Christ correctly (Mark 8:29b).

The scripture readings of the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, Isaiah 50: 5-9; Psalm: 116: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8: 27-35, have mainly two themes to reflect: Who Christ is and Our position as his followers. For the former, we see Christ as the suffering servant as described in the third and the fourth servant songs in Isaiah (50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), from the First Reading (Isaiah 50:5-9) and Jesus’ foretelling of his suffering, death, and resurrection (Mark 8:31), upon Peter’s declaration of Jesus as the Christ (Mark 8:29b). For the latter, knowing that the Christ is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s suffering servant prophecy (Isaiah 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), as he foretold (Mark 8:31), we must deny ourselves first and carry our crosses respectively, to follow him as his disciples (Mark 8:34). It also means that we are not attached to our earthly lives and worldly matters (Mark 8:35-37) and that we are neither afraid nor ashamed to walk his path, even though it may mean that we suffer and die (Mark 8:38).

Now we know that the Christ has come to fulfill the prophetic servant song in Isaiah, for the salvific redemption of the humanity, consummating this prophecy through his suffering, death, and resurrection (Isaiah 42:1-7; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). So we shall walk before the Lord, with our confidence in him, for having us free our souls from death in our exodus from this world to his Kingdom, as reflected in the Responsorial Psalm (116: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9). But, we are not merely walking before the Christ toward the Kingdom but we are also demonstrating our faith in him through our works, keeping our faith alive and well, as reflected in the Second Reading (James 2:14-18). Mainly, we put our faith through works of mercy, to be merciful as the Father is so (Luke 6:36). Reflecting St. Thomas Aquinas’ argument of mercy (ST II-II-q30), the Catholic Church describes works of mercy as:

The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2447).

Putting our faith in the Christ through our works of mercy, as we walk before him with confidence, means to imitate him, especially his works of mercy for us. We cannot let nothing stop us from our works of mercy, as our works of faith, even we may suffer and it may cost our lives, because our Christ has suffered and died for us, for our salvation. But his resurrection proves that his suffering and death have vindicated us (Romans 4:25; 8:34), and validated his teaching and our faith in him (1 Corinthians 15:14), as he himself was vindicated upon his suffering and death (1 Timothy 3:16; cf. Romans 8:11), fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy (50:7-9; 53:11-12).

Regarding Jesus as the Christ and his vindication and its salvific effect on us,  in his Pentecost speech, Peter said to those who witnessed the descent of the powerful Holy Spirit upon the disciples in Jerusalem:

My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you (both) see and hear. For David did not go up into heaven, but he himself said: The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified (Acts 2:29-36).

Now, in the Gospel Reading (Mark 8:27-35) you may wonder why Jesus asked his disciples, who they think he was, when they were in Caesarea Philippi, which was heavily populated by spiritually filthy pagans, who worshiped Pan (Πάν) by practicing sexually immoral acts, child sacrifice, and so forth. Mark does not explain. But we can speculate that Jesus might have wanted his disciples to identify and know that he is the Christ, who was sent by the Father to conquer such spiritual and corporal evil, as to imply God’s declaration to destroy Satan by His Son born of the woman, namely Mary (Genesis 3:15). This is also a message that the Christ came to deliver people from demonic influence of evil deities, such as Pan. For this, he has suffered and died, And for the vindication of him and his Christological (Messianic) truth, he was raised from the dead. Now, we are in the new exodus, which Jesus was speaking with Moses and Elijah during his transfiguration (i.e. Luke 9:31), upon being delivered from things like Pan.

Jesus’ Word, Spittle, and Hand, to Heal and Restore Us in Affliction – Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Ephphatha (אֶתְפָּתַח)!, Jesus uttered this Aramaic word, to open the ears of a man who was not able to hear and speak, upon putting his finger into this man’s ears and spitting and touching his tongue to enable him to hear and speak (Mark 7:33-34). This is a highlight of the Gospel Reading of the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B (Mark 7:31-37).

This healing took place in the district of the Decapolis, which is now in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Even back in the time of Jesus, this region, east of Jordan River, was not part of Israel. The area was heavily populated by Gentiles.

In fact, before he came to the Decapolis, he was in the region of Tyre and healed Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7:24-30). It was her faith that made it possible to be treated by Jesus just as he would treat Israelites, though she was a Gentile.

After rebuking the Pharisees and some scribes for their clinging to their elders’ tradition while not honoring the spirit of the Torah (Mark 7:1-23), from which the Gospel Reading of the Twenty-Second Sunday (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) was drawn, Jesus reached out to Gentiles. It was to being fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that God’s healing goes beyond Israel (i.e. Isaiah 45:22; 49:6; 52:10) so that all nations come to Him (Isaiah 56:7; 60:3; 66:18-24).

Jesus’ healing of a man with hearing and speech impairment in the district of Decapolis, described in the Gospel Reading of the Twenty-Third Sunday (Mark 7:31-37), fulfill a prophecy of God’s restorative acts on the distressed creation and healing acts on those in affliction, to bring holiness to Judah, in Isaiah 35, from which the First Reading (Isaiah 35:4-7a) is drawn.

The background of the hopeful prophecy for Judah in Isaiah 35 is that God assures of His care for Judah during the time of its affliction imposed by Assyria, as Sennacherib seized Jerusalem when Hezekiah reigned Judah (2 Kings 18:13-19:37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23; Isaiah 36:1-37:38), for Sennacherib was certainly punished by God as prophesized (Isaiah 33:1-24). Now, in connection with Jesus’ healing of a Decapolis man with hearing and speech impediment (Mark 7:31-37), which is the Gospel Reading, the restorative prophecy in Isaiah 35:4-7a, which is the First Reading, points to the Messianic act of Jesus. And it took place beyond the land of Judah.

Jesus came to another Gentile region, Decapolis, after being in the Syrophoenician region, demonstrating the restorative divine power to more Gentiles, so that they, too, open their hearts to God, believe, and receive the Word of God, and speak their faith.

At first, people brought a man with hearing and speech impediment to Jesus to let him lay his hand on this man (Mark 7:32). However, Jesus pulled this man away from the crowd and put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue, to make his tongue move for his speech (Mark 7:33). Then, he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”, to open this man’s ears for making him able to hear (Mark 7:34). The effect was immediate (Mark 7:35).

Jesus certainly used his hand for healing (e.g. Matthew 8:15//Mark 1:31; Luke 4:40; Mark 6:5). But in healing this Decapolis man’s muteness and deafness, Jesus used his finger somewhat intrusively by putting it in the man’s ears and spitted and touched the man’s tongue, and he looked up to heaven and uttered an Aramaic word, he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (Mark 7:33-34).

In this unique healing act, there are two things coming out of Jesus’ mouth: his spittle and word. Though spittle is unclean (i.e. Leviticus 15:8), it served as a healing agent if it comes out of Jesus month (Mark 7:33; 8:23; John 9:6). In fact, spittle of Jesus is like the life-giving breath (nefesh chayah (‎נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֔ה), which God breathed to the dust from the ground, apar min adamah ( עָפָר֙ מִן־ הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה), to form a man, adam (הָֽאָדָ֖ם) (Genesis 2:7), as he used his spittle put in mud from the ground to heal a man born blind (John 9:6). And the life-giving breath of God is the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 20:22). So, the Holy Spirit comes out of the mouth of Jesus, as the Word does, to give life (i.e. John 6:63). Therefore, whether it is his spittle or the Word, what comes out of Jesus’ mouth gives life and restores life.

Ephphatha (אֶתְפָּתַח)! – Be opened!

Jesus is speaking to us, today, as he said to the man who was unable to hear and speak, because we all have some disabilities to hear God’s Word and speak what we learn from it.

What are the areas in our lives that need to be opened by Jesus so that we can listen to the Word of God clearly understand it and become able to speak it to others? In what areas in our lives needs to have a clear and articulated speech in expressing our faith? 

In juxtaposing the Word to a sown seed, as in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 13:1-23// Mark 4:1-20//Luke 8:4-15), we are not only to be open to receive the Word, as the good soil received a seed, but also to let the Word grow in us for abundant fruition, as the good soil let the seed grow into great harvest. It means that our harts’ ears to receive the Word is open, our hearts are fertile for the Word to grow into wisdom, so that our speeches and actions of the wisdom from the Word are abundantly fruitful. After all, we are called to speak of what we hear from Jesus to all nations (i.e. Matthew 28:19-20), as the apostolic Church, showing the greatness of our God to all nations, letting them know and turn their hearts to the Lord our God (i.e. Psalm 22:28). Ultimately, this is for our King at his throne and for his Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, reflecting these words:

Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth (Revelation 5:9-10).

Our healing and growth in faith are made possible even after Jesus’ ascension to his heavenly throne. By letting our King, Jesus Christ, open us to receive his Word, letting it grow in us and articulating the growth of the Word through our speeches and actions of faith, we are, indeed, serving the King and his Kingdom.

As we let Jesus open our hearts’ ear and make our speech of our understanding of his teaching, we become better apostles. It also means that we overcome our tendency to be judgemental, as we become more open to the Word from Jesus, as reflected in James’ teaching in the Second Reading (James 2:1-5).

Remember, God is not partial (Romans 2:11) in reaching out with his mighty arm of justice and salvation, as both the Israelites and the Gentiles are eligible to receive His grace. This is why Jesus also reached out to Gentiles, going beyond the traditional Jewish boundaries. Likewise, we are called to reach out to our brothers and sisters in all nations, regardless of their nationalities, ethnicities, and all other socioeconomic statuses, through our articulate speech of our understanding of the Word, as our hearts are open to receive it and fertile to let it grow in us. This all begins with Jesus’ word, Ephphatha (אֶתְפָּתַח), along with his spittle, and finger, to open what needs to be opened and to mobilize what needs to move.