Texts taken from the Missalino “On Your Word” September-October 2024

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
1st week of the Psalter

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 53:10-11)
The Lord was pleased to crush him with suffering. When he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants, he shall prolong his days, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him. After his anguish he shall see the light and be satisfied by his knowledge; my righteous servant shall justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities. - The word of the Lord. 

Commentary on the First Reading

That one person pays for another is a human experience we can encounter: someone goes to the bar and buys you a coffee, or a generous friend pays off a debt for you when you are short of money. But for one person to become guilty in another’s place is something entirely new. This will be the unheard-of novelty of the God-man, who in Gethsemane took upon himself the sin of all humanity; yet this function is already foreshadowed and announced in the Old Testament. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, the Servant of God suffers greatly: these sufferings are described as the means by which many people are made righteous (justified). How suffering is related to sin will become clearer when, in the fullness of time, the incarnation of the Word takes place; meanwhile, the Old Testament sheds light on the fact that this connection has existed since the time of Adam and Eve, and that today redeemed humanity can share with Christ in this mission. At Fatima, in fact, Our Lady asks the children whether they are willing to suffer in order to atone for the sins of the world. To tell the truth, she asks the same of each of us.

SECOND READING

From the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 4:14-16)
Brothers and sisters, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession of faith. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses: he himself was tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace, and so be helped at the right time. - The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Second Reading

It surprises us to hear of a high priest who was tested in every way. Usually, when we think of men so devoted to their lofty mission - today, we might think of a pope or a cardinal - we consider the aspect of their ministry, entirely dedicated to the glory of God in service at the altar and in the priesthood. Here, however, the true high priest, Jesus Christ, is presented to us: he passes through the heavens after sharing in our trials and weaknesses. The Lord wanted to know fatigue and suffering; indeed, he suffered these things more than any of us, in order to bring us to the Father purified and justified. In other religious experiences, there is never a God who becomes human while remaining God, yet this is what truly happened in Christ. That is why we are asked to have complete confidence: our weaknesses are in him and within him; he takes them upon himself and, purifying us, presents us to the Father as prodigal children who have returned home. Sin is defeated on Christ’s altar, the cross, and now we share in the divine life of the Risen One.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:35-45)
At that time, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you want me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They replied, “We can.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. But to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to grant; it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the other ten heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John. Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their leaders oppress them. But it shall not be so among you; rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you will be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

To say that God came into the world to serve and not to be served is unheard of. After two thousand years, we have become accustomed to it, but let us try to put ourselves in the place of those who heard this for the first time. It seems to us that God’s dignity is diminished if we think of him serving like a homemaker or a caregiver; but in his essence, God is precisely love that serves, that forgets itself in order to raise his creature - us human beings - to his level. This love is incredible. It is our own dignity that should frighten us and at the same time make us sink into the deepest humility. Saint Francis of Assisi understood this and often repeated: “Who are you, O God, and who am I?” He could not comprehend that God had humbled himself so greatly. Yet we must believe that God finds his joy in making me share in his divine life and grants me the ability to love him with his own power. He is not satisfied that I am good or that I am a “decent” person; he wants me to be entirely aflame, as he is. God burns and cannot tolerate lukewarmness and indifference. Entering into the divine mystery means, first and foremost, believing in his infinite love for us. And believing this is truly heroic.