Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Wisdom 2:12, 17-20/ Psalm 54/ James 3:16-4:3/ Mark 9:30-37 THEME: A community that embraces the least privileged

With his person, his teachings and his life, Jesus Christ has brought about a change in our world. The texts of this Sunday’s liturgy focus on this change. The godless man who does not understand or accept the life of the upright is asked to change his attitude (First Reading). Jesus’ disciples need to change their mentality before the surprising teachings of their Master (Gospel). James proposes to the Christians a spiritual plan which calls for a change in the lifestyle that they had before (Second Reading). In the first reading of today, the godless man is invited to change his attitude. What is the godless man’s attitude towards the upright man? What is the attitude of the pagan towards the Christian? Indeed what is the Christian’ own attitude towards his fellow Christian? According to the Book of Wisdom, the godless man thinks that the upright man is a nuisance, because he is the critical conscience of one’s actions; instead of admiring and imitating him, as he should, the wicked man prefers to put the innocent to the test. The writer says, “The ungodly men said: “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions…” (Wisdom 2:12). He even wants to condemn the innocent man to death, contravening human and divine laws, to see whether the God in whom the innocent man trusts will protect and save him. This shows that those who choose to follow the wisdom of God, the upright, are a reproach to those who lead lives according to the principles of this world. Often, therefore, the upright are persecuted. The ungodly is wrong. Their attitude does not correspond to the attitude that God wants. Therefore, they must change. The upright and holy man must be admired and put forward as a model worthy of being imitated. It is true that the faithful man challenges the conscience, but this is a cause for joy and gratitude. Why not turn to God with the trust of the upright instead of putting him to the test and even condemning him to death? Jesus invites us to the same attitude of change in our mentality in the gospel reading of today. In the first reading, the adversaries of the righteous man decided to lay ambush and kill him. But in the gospel, Jesus freely offers his life to his adversaries. What a paradox. Even Jesus’ disciples simply cannot comprehend why their Master must go through the passageway of suffering. What even weighed more on their conscience was the fact that in order to be first, one must be the servant of all, that in the new categories of the Kingdom of Christ the child occupies a prominent place. It is not easy for them to leave behind the lessons they received in their education as children. But if they want to be disciples of Christ, they must change. They must accept that suffering is the way to redemption for Jesus Christ and that it continues to be so for Christians. They must be firmly convinced that serving is not a favour that one does once in a while, but that it is the habitual way of being a Christian and living like a Christian. They will have to forget that the child is not important in the gathering of the elders. They need to learn that by accepting those who do not “count” - the marginalized, the weak, the needy - one accepts Christ, and through Christ one accepts the heavenly Father himself. This is a teaching that only by the grace of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we can accept and practice. Changing our life and attitude is not only crucial but a necessary condition for a fruitful Christian life. The greatness of a Christian consists in serving others particularly the poor and the marginalised. What Jesus suggests, is of course, madness for unbelievers. If changing one’s way of thinking is difficult, changing one’s life is even more so. Baptism and the Eucharist restructure us from within; pour a new way of being and a new principle of action into us. This is the basis for changing our lives. But this change requires the grace of God, human work and time for the new structures to be assimilated and to configure our behavior day after day, deed after deed. Only when we have assimilated this new teaching of Christ can we come to appreciate the fact that war, hatred and conflict lie in our refusal to accept the invitation of Christ to serve. St. James says: “the wisdom that comes down from above... something pure; it is also peaceable, kindly and considerate; it is full of mercy and shows itself by doing good. Nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it.” (James 3:17-18). It will guide human behavior in every moment. Without this change of attitude, which requires grace, effort and time, the old structures will continue to exist, and with them, our actions will be guided by dispute, greed, the desire for pleasure and envy. Changing one’s life is the great task of the Christian, which must be undertaken with determination and enthusiasm. It is said that to live is to change and to be holy is to have changed often. Change according to God. We live in a culture in which everything is in constant flux. We see change everywhere. It is easier than ever before to change jobs, computers, cars, houses or countries. One can also change one’s way of thinking and living, and even one’s religion. Change happens every day, and those who do not change quickly are left behind. Change is inherent in progressively-minded people, who seem to have change written in their DNA. But not all change is good. Nor is all change indicative of progress. There are changes that are rather unfortunate: so it is for many emigrants, who are compelled to leave their countries out of necessity; so it is for many young girls, who are forced to sell their bodies as prostitutes; so it is for many children, forced to work in inhuman conditions or abducted so that their organs may be sold. These changes cry out to heaven for vengeance! The change that the liturgy invites us to bring about is a change according to God. In other words, it is the type of change that God wants and expects of us in order to be more human, to live out our human dignity better and more fully. The change that God wants is from injustice to justice, from abuse to the service of others, from unfaithfulness to faithfulness, from hatred to love, from vengeance to forgiveness, from the culture of death to the culture of life, from sin to grace and holiness. To be men and women who change according to the plan of God, every person must outline a plan of life or live by principles. What values am I going to teach to my children? What values am I going to fight for in my personal, family and social life? How much time am I going to devote to my mission as Apostle of Jesus Christ in my parish and diocesan community. What initiative, great or small, am I going to propose to foster awareness of God, to promote vocations to the priesthood or consecrated life, to visit and care for the sick or those who live alone in my neighborhood, in my parish? It need not be a major, exhaustive plan. Make a small plan for a year, a plan that will help you grow in your spiritual life. For instance, you could devote some daily time to prayer, or go to confession more often and more regularly, or fight with greater determination and energy against some vice. Make it a plan that will keep you active in your mission within the Church: teach catechism, join the parish choir, devote greater attention to the spiritual and moral education of your children. At the end of the day or the week, reflect a little on how you put your plan into practice. A small plan can do a world of good! In sum, in order to live out our Christian life to the full, we are invited to live out clearly the four main principles of Catholic Social Teachings of Human Dignity, Subsidiarity, Common Good and Solidarity. As far as human dignity is concerned, we are called to preserve the sanctity and dignity of the human person by preserving life and resisting anything that threatens it. By subsidiarity, we are invited to use our good offices to protect the poor and marginalised and overthrow all oppressive structures. By the principle of the common good, we are invited to seek not our own selfish interest in the discharge of our duties but have the interest of the other person at heart. The principle of solidarity invites us to promote justice, equality and equity in all spheres of life.