Reading 2
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
your gold and silver have corroded,
and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;
it will devour your flesh like a fire.
You have stored up treasure for the last days.
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers
who harvested your fields are crying aloud;
and the cries 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;
you have murdered the righteous one;
he offers you no resistance.
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.'"
Reflection
If we truly loved our Lord with all our hearts, minds, and strength, then we would abhor sin of any kind. To harm the Beloved should be repulsive to us. But, often we can be tempted to categorize our sins as not that bad, or perhaps they could be so much worse, and so we slip into complacency. Today, our readings challenge us to take our sin--all our sin--seriously.
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off… And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.” These words should make us pause. How careful are we to avoid even the near occasion of sin? What lengths do we go to when we try to protect ourselves from the possibility of losing Heaven? Jesus does not ask us to literally cut off our own limbs, but the gravity behind His imagery is sincere.
In our second reading, James communicates a similar message. He shows that we set our own priorities. If we value wealth and pleasure more than anything else, then the righteousness we neglect will not help us in the end.
These readings may be frightening. Nobody wants to ponder the possibility of Gehenna. But we should understand these words as a mercy. See how desperately our Lord wants to warn us against our sinful ways! Jesus longs for an eternity with us, and so He begs us to do everything we can to protect that eternity. Likewise, James wants us to see the consequences of our behaviors, in the same way that a loving parent helps their child to see the longstanding impact of their actions.
In response to this loving warning, let us ask our Lord for the courage and strength to avoid even the near occasion of sin. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us both a distaste for evil and the gift of zeal as we strive to protect and promote our relationship with God.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
