September 22, 2024 Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

- Today’s Readings: Wis 2:12, 17-20 | Jas 3:16—4:3 | Mk 9:30-37

In today’s Gospel reading we have the second of the three predictions of his suffering, death and resurrection that Jesus makes in the Good News of Mark. Between the two predictions Jesus had given Peter James and John, the scene of the Transfiguration, a glimpse of the glory that was to be his after the resurrection. The reason for this would appear to be to encourage the apostles through their leaders to bear the scandal which his passion and death would be for them sometime in the near future. This prediction follows the same threefold structure as did the first: prediction, misunderstanding and corrective teaching. Again Jesus is portrayed as teaching the disciples as they journey through Galilee. Jesus and his disciples were making their way through the Northern Province of Galilee quietly that he did not want people to know where they were going. It looks as if Jesus wants to have more time with his disciples. Part of that teaching includes telling the disciples that the Son of Man will be handed over, killed and three days rise again from the dead. Even though Jesus had clearly said these things to them some time earlier they had no clue as to what he was telling them. We recollect how for the first time Jesus told them of his passion and death, Peter reacted very strongly and Jesus reacted more strongly still. This time they were more cautious. They were unable to grasp his teaching about his sufferings. His arrest, passion and death on the cross came as a shattering blow for them destroying their concept of Messiah. Their idea of a Messiah was one of authoritative person to free them from the foreign rule.

Through all his life, through everything that constitutes the very essence of his person, Jesus is the Christ, the one whom God chose to bring to the world the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit who is Lord and who gives Life, as we say in the Creed. He will live forever and give life to the world. Hence when Jesus speaks of his death, his disciples were unable to understand what Jesus meant by it. During his life Jesus challenged many people thus opposing their way of life and for being untrue to the real meaning of their traditions, of worshipping only with their lips with their hearts far from God. Soon people turned against him and planned his death. His gentleness and endurance and his love for us were proved beyond doubt. He did not challenge them in the way they anticipated.

The Gospel passage of today indicates that the disciples and Jesus were clearly on a collision path. Jesus was teaching them about the necessity of suffering and service and all they could think about was power and prestige. This comes out very strongly when Jesus confronts his disciples about their conversation during their journey. They were in the “house” mentioned meaning their meeting place or their place of residence. They were highly embarrassed and very reluctant to disclose to him what they had been arguing about because at the center of their concern was who among them was the greatest. Which of them would have the highest post in the kingdom of Jesus? They could hardly think anything beyond this, particularly the deep concerns and care of Jesus. Jesus was fully aware of all that was going on in their minds. He sat down and spoke just to the Twelve, his close friends and told them the type of leadership his followers ought to have. He then began his corrective teaching by stating the basic principle of discipleship.

Jesus exemplified his teaching on discipleship by putting a little child in their midst. He told them that if anyone who welcomes one of these children in his name, welcomes Jesus himself. The purpose of pointing to the child was not to promote some form of pious understanding that a disciple must be like a child in terms of innocence, openness and goodness. Generally when we think of a child it represents a person who has no power, no say, no influence; a person who can easily be controlled, abused or neglected and who has little redress. The point of making reference to the child was to draw their attention to the child’s social status. In the culture of the time of Jesus children were considered to be at the lowest rung of the social ladder. This did not mean that they were not valued loved and cared for. It simply meant that the child starts out at the bottom.

The child about whom Jesus speaks is an image. Jesus uses this comparison to introduce the reality of his mission on earth: that of being the representative of the Father, his perfect Image, and the one whom the Father himself sends to speak to men in his name. So he who receives a little child in the name of Jesus is not receiving a child, but rather Jesus himself through the intermediary of that child. Certainly, the child is not really Jesus. But Jesus is truly one God with his Father: thus, when we receive Jesus, it is truly the Father whom we receive. We read in the Gospel of John that if a man loves Jesus, he will keep his word, and the Father will love him, and they will come to him and make their home with him.

Source: https://msjnov.wordpress.com/2024/09/15/twenty-fifth-sunday-of-the-year-september-22-2024/ Image: Nicolaes Maes - Christ Blessing the Children

News

• 22 September - Kindly note that there will be no English Mass on Sunday, September 22nd 2024. We resume regular Mass schedule on September 29th. Kindly refer to the Stadtkirche HD website for Masses in the area: https://www.stadtkirche-heidelberg.de/gottesdienste.