Gospel Reflection Sept 29 – Kim VanHuffel
Sunday, September 29
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Gospel:
At that time, John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “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.
“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 maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
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.'”
Gospel Reflection:
I have a pretty good memory for scripture, and whenever I think of this verse, which I do often, what I remember is “if anyone causes one of the least of these to stumble.” Similar translation. Basically, the first part of this reading is telling us that if anyone does something good for another person in Jesus’ name, then he will be rewarded. The second part is telling us that if we do something that causes someone to sin, or stumble, then the opposite would happen. It would be better to lose the part of you that sins, than to lose the opportunity for your heavenly reward.
When I think of what I could do to cause someone to stumble, the answer is always about their human dignity. It could be a look, a word, a tone of voice, body language. We have so much power to build people up or tear them down. If you know me at all, you probably know that I refer back to Catholic Social Teaching A LOT — Dignity of the Human Person (from conception to natural death, including all of the basic needs of the person during their life), Care for Family and Community, the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, the Dignity of Work and Workers, standing in Solidarity with our brothers and sisters for justice and peace, and Caring for God’s Creation. Rather than droning on and on about it, if you want to reflect on these Catholic principles, you can find a handout and videos on each here: https://www.crs.org/resource-center/seven-themes-catholic-social-teaching-handout.
I’m also including a link to a letter distributed by our Ohio Bishops last week that speaks beautifully about our need to treat all people, including those who have immigrated here from other countries, with human dignity. You can find that letter here: https://www.ohiocathconf.org/Portals/1/Bishop%20Statements/Catholic%20Bishops%20of%20Ohio%20Letter%20on%20Migrants.pdf
I hope the letter and reflecting on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching inspire you as they do me, to try to do more to help further God’s kingdom on earth.
God Bless,
Kim VanHuffel
Pastoral Associate