25TH Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wis 2: 12, 17-20; James 3: 16-4:3; Mk 9: 30-37
Dc. Larry Brockman
Are you looking for the truth about what’s going on in the world today and about how to solve our problems? Because it is easy to be confused in today’s world with all the experts and pundits. Indeed, we don’t hear the news any more. Rather, we hear little snippets about events, and then hours upon hours of spin on those events. It isn’t even clear that we are hearing about the most important events. It might just be that the media is picking the events to match their spin.
Why is it that we allow others to pick our news and then let them interpret what they present rather than us assessing where the truth lies? Is it because we are unqualified, disinterested, stupid, gullible, self-absorbed or a combination of all of those things? Or is it because someone who wants to control us thinks we are unqualified, disinterested, stupid, gullible, self- absorbed or a combination of all of those things? There is no question about the effect that all this management of the news and its analysis has on us though. It is dividing us, it is causing factions, and we are becoming less capable of working together to solve problems.
James has it right when he says: “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice”. That seems to describe our world today- disorder and every foul practice. I’m thinking of Planned Parenthood and ISIS for example.
Indeed, when I listened to the first reading from Wisdom, two things struck me. First, it was a perfect predictor of what happened to Jesus. The jealous power brokers of Jesus time did precisely what was described in that reading. They persecuted the righteous man, Jesus, and followed the script perfectly, even up to the part about death.
And secondly, I see the same phenomena happening in this country today. Why else would a gay couple drive across two states to the only county clerk’s office that specifically would deny a marriage license to them if their intent wasn’t to foment trouble? And this is but one example. I saw many other examples in the three hour presidential debate the other night. Rather than focusing on the issues facing our country and the solutions each candidate would advocate, the moderators focused on pitting the candidates against each other.
So, is there a better way? Is there a better way to recognize truth and how to pursue it? First of all, consider the context of the reading from James today. James is talking about how the tongue can get us in trouble. And he is referring to the fruits of a loose tongue where jealousy and self-ambition are the motivators. James goes on to talk about what kind of fruits follow from a person who is motivated by God’s wisdom. Rather, he is saying that true wisdom can always be recognized by its works: purity, tranquility, modesty, docility, equity, mercy and piety.
Then James goes on to summarize his thought this way: “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.” Just what does that mean? Well, it means that you cannot have peace without righteousness. In other words if organizations or people advocate peace, but they are not righteous, then don’t count on the peace they promise.
Now righteousness is different from being right and it is different from being self-righteous. Righteousness means being aligned with what God teaches. And as we have seen, the wisdom of God is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.”
The Gospel story makes a very interesting point about seeking the truth. Jesus and his Apostles are just back from the Transfiguration event. So, they had all just been exposed to undeniable, unmistakable, powerful proof that Jesus was God made man. He travels apart from the crowd so he can teach them. I think he is teaching them the truth, don’t you? But when He tells them he is going to have to suffer at the hands of his enemies because he is following the truth and the wisdom of God, what do they do? They put all of that aside and rather, they talk amongst themselves about who is number one.
So, two things happened to the Apostles. First, they didn’t want to deal with the truth. They should have been talking about all that just happened and all that Jesus taught them. These were incredibly significant events that had just happened. But no, they put all that aside and talked about something else. They didn’t want to talk about the truth. Secondly, they talked about who was number one. That sounds like jealousy and self-ambition to me!
Lest we be too critical, isn’t that our way as well? First, we really don’t want to hear the truth. We don’t want to hear about our monumental debt, unemployment, lack of integrity in government, ISIS, Moslem extremists, pollution, immigration, and all the rest of it. So, we may just block all that out. Instead, we are interested in our taxes, our rights, our benefits, our security, and our justice. We are interested in ourselves, number one.
The time is coming when we simply must hear the truth and deal with it. Righteousness and the wisdom of God are the keys. Jesus tells his disciples this at the end of today’s Gospel: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
So, are you listening, or are you worried about number one?
