Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal September-October 2021

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
2nd week, Psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of Numbers (Nm 11:25-29)
In those days, the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses: he took some of the spirit that was upon him and placed it upon the seventy elders; when the spirit came to rest upon them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again. However, two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad. The spirit came to rest upon them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent. They began to prophesy in the camp. A young man ran to announce it to Moses and said: “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Joshua, son of Nun, Moses’ assistant since his youth, spoke up and said: “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses said to him: “Are you jealous on my behalf? If only all the people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord would place his spirit upon them!” – The word of God.

Commentary on the First Reading

The Book of Numbers recounts an episode connected with the appointment of seventy men destined to help Moses lead the people journeying toward the promised land. God gives Moses’ spirit to the seventy elders gathered around the tent, but also to two men who had remained in the camp. Joshua, Moses’ assistant and successor in leading the people, objects, arguing that prophesying is reserved for a few. For Moses, however, anyone who does good is blessed by God, and no one should prevent or obstruct the action of the Spirit. The Lord sees hearts and gives his Spirit to his chosen ones even if they are not within the visible boundary of the holy place. We must not be jealous of God’s gifts; on the contrary, wherever we recognize a gift from God, we should rejoice. If we are saddened by it, it means that we are seeking ourselves, not the glory of God and service to our neighbor and the Church. God’s love has no boundaries; it is not given exclusively to only a few, but calls everyone so that goodness may grow.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint James the Apostle (Jas 5:1-6)
Now to you who are rich: weep and cry out over the miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will rise up against you and devour your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures for the last days! Behold, the wages of the workers who harvested your fields, and which you withheld, cry out, and the complaints of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, and he has not resisted you. – The word of God. 

Commentary on the Second Reading

The passage from the Letter of James is an extremely harsh indictment of every injustice and imbalance that causes suffering and discrimination. It is not a condemnation of wealth in itself, but a denunciation directed at those who, attached to it, have no qualms about continuing to accumulate it by depriving others of what they need to live. It is the condemnation of those who, thanks to their wealth, allow themselves the luxury of remaining indifferent to the many lives of misery endured by men and women, the elderly and children. Wealth carries the grave risk that those who possess it will remain trapped by the evil they commit to increase and protect it at the expense of the legitimate needs of others. The apostle James’ denunciation has nothing to do with ideological positions, but begins with the certain awareness that before God every person has first received the gift of life and the earth, with its resources, as an inheritance to sustain the lives of many. For Christians, it is urgent to discover the need to detach themselves from riches.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48)
At that time, John said to Jesus: “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said: “Do not stop him, because there is no one who performs a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life with one hand than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life with one foot than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

By recalling the brief dialogue between Jesus and John, Mark urges us not to become jealous of goodness, proud of our own certainties, or disdainful toward those who seem far from God. The Lord’s response is beautiful. Jesus wants John and the others to understand that they must not take offense, because God loves every person, and if we love God, we must have a heart as great as his. How often, unfortunately, we use faith not to do good to others, but to drive them away with our pride, selfishness, and arrogance; how often we use the Lord’s gifts not to seek out those who are far away, but to condemn those who strive to draw near to the Lord, and thus discourage them. Jesus therefore urges the disciples and us always to see and value goodness; he asks for a profound conversion that eliminates every mentality of privilege and religious exclusivity; he invites us to show genuine openness toward those outside the community, without judgments or prejudices. Jesus then tells us something wonderful: even for a single cup of water given out of love for him, we will not lose his reward. How wonderful to know that God rewards even the smallest gesture of selfless generosity.