Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
38 John said to him, ‘Master, we saw someone who is not one of us driving out devils in your name, and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’
39 But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him; no one who works a miracle in my name could soon afterwards speak evil of me.
40 Anyone who is not against us is for us.
41 ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
42 ‘But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck.
43 And if your hand should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that can never be put out.
45 And if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
47 And if your eye should be your downfall, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell
48 where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out.
Reflection:
Our gospel for today is from Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48. In the gospel Jesus said “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” What doe this mean? Here are the things we need to ponder upon this gospel.
To become a believer you must first show yourself that you have faith. The gospel in Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 is teaching us this way. If you are a believer then you must be serving others because of God. You are not only serving others because of yourself.
- Being a disciple means walk the faith. It means to internalize the faith that is a gift from above.
The things that make us happy and lively here on earth are only passing yet we live through it. Little did we know that that true happiness is seeing God and making Him happy of the good things we do here on earth. In the gospel in Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48, it is very obvious that Jesus is giving His disciples a meaningful lesson.
If we choose to follow God, we have to do it the right way. We have to offer ourselves to the service of men. It doesn’t mean that you have to become a priest or a nun to be able to do this. It means to offer your life for the service of your God.
How do we offer ourselves to God in little ways? Simple things like almsgiving, charity, sacrifice, penance and service to the needy. These are the things you need to offer to God our life.
Lord Jesus, make us all worthy of the graces you gave us. We may be sinners but we regret our sins before you. Let us all unite as we face this pandemic and let us offer ourselves to you through service to others. We know that you are the only one who can lift us all from this distress Amen. – Clea | Helpline PH
