Ordinary Time

Jan 30 2025

To Lord or Not to Lord

One of the temptations in having younger siblings is the felt need to remind them of their place in the family “pecking order,” especially when it comes to certain privileges that belong to the eldest sibling(s). Every social, political, or family group has “elders,” either by age or rank, who claim certain privileges as their due. Another way to put this is “lording it over others.”

Jesus works to undermine this approach to community life. He has been teaching his disciples that he must suffer, die, and then be raised to eternal life. He has just finished telling this to them for the third time when James and John come up to claim a seat at his right and left when he comes into his kingdom. After all, they were among the first to be called! No wonder the others were about to throttle them—not because James and John should not have made such a claim, but because they beat the others to it. It’s hard to give up “lording” when the opportunity arrives.

The Letter to the Hebrews speaks of Jesus as the great high priest able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, similarly tested, yet without sin. This Jesus calls us to service, warning us, as he did the disciples, against lording it over one another and making our authority felt. We too are to follow him in the way of service and self-giving, caring for our brothers and sisters, humbly and without regard for reward.

Consider/Discuss

Are there particular circumstances that tempt you to “lord it over” someone else? What do you do?
Do you believe that Jesus really was tested in every way and yet was without sin? Which part of this do you find hardest to believe?

Responding to the Word

Lord Jesus Christ, you teach us that we will find honor in serving each other, not in seeking positions of superiority or power over others. You came to give your life as a ransom for “the many”—meaning “for all.” Give us a share in this spirit of generous service.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

The role that God plays in suffering has long plagued religious people. The misfortune of sinners may be just punishment for their offenses, but the suffering of the righteous is always disturbing. In the reading from Isaiah, the servant gives himself as a sin offering; he endures his agony so that others can be justi fied. His death will win life for others, and in this way he will accomplish God’s will. The violence inflicted upon him is accepted, embraced, and put to rest. With the offering of this innocent scapegoat, reconciliation with God is accomplished.

In order to demonstrate Jesus’ preeminence, the author of the second reading compares him to the high priest. Just as the high priest passed through the curtain into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, there to sprinkle sacrificial blood on the mercy seat, so Christ, exalted after shedding his own blood, passed through the heavens into the presence of God. His sacrifice far exceeds anything that the ritual performed by the high priest might have actually accomplished or hoped to accomplish. Unlike previous high priests who approached the mercy seat alone and only on the Day of Atonement, Christ enables each one of us to approach God, and to do so continually.

James and John seek places of prominence in Jesus’ kingdom and Jesus informs them that real prominence is found in service, not in wielding authority over others. The proclaimed willingness of the sons of Zebedee to accept the cup that Jesus will eventually drink and be baptized in his baptism is another example of their misunderstanding. Even if they had grasped the meaning of his words, they could hardly have imagined their implications. Since they believed that Jesus would reign in glory, they could certainly not conceive of his ignominious suffering and death. Jesus assures them that they will indeed face what he must face, but they will not do so willingly as they now presume they will.

Jan 30 2025

Seek Wisdom

The wisdom prayed for in the first reading is a gift from God. Perhaps the first question that confronts us today is whether we consider wisdom worth our energy and effort, or whether we are busy pursuing what are considered more “practical” objectives. Consider, however, that the wisdom of God has been described as knowledge of how to do things—in Solomon’s case, ruling wisely.

Scripture also connects the pursuit of wisdom with the pursuit of eternal life that the man is seeking in the Gospel. He has come to recognize that eternal life is the supreme value, and he wants to know what he must do to inherit it. Again, wisdom as doing. When Jesus points him toward keeping the commandments, he quickly responds that he’s been doing this “from my youth.”

He wins Jesus’ heart with this response, so Jesus invites him to join his disciples, to be part of a new family, leaving behind his property, possessions, and all that binds him to the past. All too much! He walks away sad. “Who can be saved?” asks Peter. “Impossible for humans, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Which brings us back to prayer. Ask for wisdom, the ability to do what is necessary, and more will be given than you can imagine.

God’s word is spoken of as living and effective, a two-edged sword that penetrates our heart, enables discernment, brings light, leads to right action. What does God’s word illuminate today?

Consider/Discuss

What do you seek? What do you ask for in prayer? Wisdom? Eternal life? Or . . . ?
Do you trust Jesus’ promise that one who chooses to be part of his family will receive a hundred times more even now?

Responding to the Word

God of wisdom and life, “teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Send us your Spirit of wisdom and understanding that we may know the difference between what the world holds up as riches and what is of true value in your sight.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

Wisdom is personified as a woman and she is praised as a priceless treasure beyond compare. The speaker is depicted as a king who prayed for wisdom that would enable him to rule judiciously. He proclaims that he prefers her to riches, to health, to beauty, to everything that women and men normally cherish. Of all the wonders that life has to offer, in his eyes Wisdom is the most precious treasure. In fact, in comparison with her, other riches are of little value. Though he has spurned riches, in the end he received them along with the wisdom he sought. The word of God is extolled in the Letter to the Hebrews for both its creative and its juridical force. It is living and effective, because it is the expression of the God who is living and effective. As performative speech, it accomplishes what it describes; as juridical speech, it passes judgment on what it discovers. God’s word is incisive and probing, sharper than a sword that cuts both ways. It can pierce the inner recesses of a person, cutting cleanly amid soul and spirit and body, and penetrating the most secret thoughts of the heart. God’s word has both a comprehensive and a profound effect; nothing can escape it. The initial exchange between Jesus and the rich man raises an important theological question: Can one gain eternal life, or is it a gift from God? The man’s question implies that he believes that he can do something to deserve eternal life. Jesus argues that it is a gift. However, a particular way of living is indeed called forth for those who desire eternal life. The man is not putting Jesus to the test; he has approached him with great respect. This is an honest and upright man, one who has been observant from his youth, but who realizes that there is still something missing in his life. Jesus recognizes his goodness, and he loves him.

Jan 30 2025

True Family Values

Jesus’ teaching on divorce can sound harsh to our ears and even cause pain to anyone who has suffered the trauma of a divorce. It is important to understand that the scribes are testing Jesus the rabbi/teacher and his understanding of the law of Moses on marriage and divorce. Maybe they simply wanted to know what Jesus thought, but it is more probable they wanted to get him in trouble either with the authorities (consider the preaching of John the Baptist on Herod’s marital situation) or with the people who revered Moses and the law that allowed for divorce.

Two rabbinic schools of thought had weighed in on this matter. Rabbi Shammai allowed divorce only for adultery; Rabbi Hillel allowed it for just about anything. In Jesus’ day a more liberal interpretation prevailed, and divorce was allowed for trivial reasons.

Jesus the teacher becomes Jesus the prophet here, going back to Genesis and proclaiming the intent of the Creator: that a man leave his mother and father’s home and cling to his wife, the two becoming one. Here the woman was equal to the man, not subordinate, made “from (a rib) nearest his heart to be alongside him, equal to him, loved by him, and from beneath his arm to be protected by him.”

The Church’s teaching flows from that of Jesus. God’s plan is that marriage be graced and life-giving, a community of love and life. Children, the fruit of marriage, are to be cherished, blessed, and protected, never neglected or abused in any way.

Consider/Discuss

How do the teachings of Jesus and Genesis relate to the contemporary experience of marriage?
Why does the kingdom of God belong to children and what does it mean to accept this kingdom like a child?

Responding to the Word

Loving God, you created man and woman in your image, and have called many to the vocation of marriage as a witness to and participation in the love that binds you, Father, with the Son and Holy Spirit. Hear our prayer for all married couples; make their love faithful, fruitful, and forever.