25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, Year II, Sept. 24, 2006

Scripture: Wisdom 2:12,17-20. Psalm 54:4-8. James 3:16-4:3. Mark 9:30-37

Wisdom was the theme that I chose in looking at the Scriptures for this Sunday. I always look at Sunday as a day in which the greatest event is recalled, the Resurrection of Jesus in the context of the whole Paschal Mystery of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection. This gives me the larger context and bigger picture of what these Sunday readings celebrate, namely, the glorious Resurrection of Jesus. Sunday is the Lord's Day as we learn from the Tradition but it is also found in the Scriptures in the first chapter of the Book of Revelation. I just leave it up to you to find the verse! Now, returning to the theme of Wisdom, I noticed that two books of the Wisdom type are given in the first reading and then in the Epistle of James which also is a wisdom-like writing. Many of the Psalm also have a wisdom flavor about them.

Mark is showing us the Wisdom of the Cross. As we have already seen, Mark's Gospel is a stark Gospel that does centralize the thought and event of the Cross throughout. Jesus is giving the disciples the second prediction of his death on the Cross, but they are not wise listeners and fall into the trap of foolish talk about who is the greatest among them. Jesus will remind them once more of how he is going up to Jerusalem to be crucified and they still do not pay attention to him and forget about what he is trying to tell them. They fail in understanding the wisdom of God and thus fall into thinking again and again the thoughts of men. Thinking the thoughts of God and not human thoughts are precisely the point of view of Mark's Gospel. The disciples are a foil for this since they constantly miss the point Jesus is making. They do not comprehend that Jesus is according to the Scriptures not a victorious Messiah, but a Suffering-Servant Messiah. After their bad behavior, Jesus takes a little child and illustrates what he means by true wisdom and good discipleship which leads to servant-leadership. The child represents the wisdom of pure innocence and openness to the wisdom and love of God. To be servant-leaders no one is to "lord it over" the others. They have to learn how to comprehend that the following of Jesus is through the way of the Cross. They need the humility and docility of the child Jesus is holding. This is not an easy task for rugged peasants and fishermen nor is it easy for us so capable of doing so many things with our technology and our "wisdom."

St. James helps us understand that God's wisdom in the plan of salvation in his own writing: "Wisdom, from above, by contrast, is first of all innocent, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace." (James 3:16-18). So, on this Sunday as we recall the Passion, Death, and Resurrection in the Eucharistic celebration may we come to realize that Jesus is the light and revelation of that Wisdom that comes from above. Amen.