Scripture Scribbles: September 29, 2024
the Gospel
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
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.'"
the scribble
God’s warning in today’s gospel couldn’t be any clearer.
What are the causes of our sins? Are we ready to cut them off?
God surely didn’t mean that we literally cut any parts of our bodies so that we can avoid those that cause us to sin, right? Metaphorically, our Lord wants us to take a breather and observe our surroundings.
Only then will we be able to see how many times have we spread rumors against our neighbors. Those are our tongues working badly. Have we helped those in dire need or have we ignored them? Those are our hands committing a sin of omission. Have we looked with disdain at those who are so different from us and judged them based on their appearances? Those are our eyes not looking hard enough to see what’s inside of those people. How many times, on a Sunday, have we walked past the church or our Bible study group and went instead to a business transaction, a bar, a party, a shopping mall, a tourist spot, or a restaurant? Those are our feet choosing the “more interesting” and “more fun” paths.
I cringe as I write this because I myself am guilty of these things too.
Are we ready to stop spreading false information, to start assisting the needy, to stop judging and start looking with compassionate eyes? Are we going to begin choosing God over and above money or our interests and hobbies?
God’s warning in today’s gospel couldn’t be any clearer. He doesn’t want us to cut off our body parts. He wants us to let go of our sinfulness. Sure, we are humans. We deal with temptations, every single day. But then, we have the Holy Spirit and so many prayer warriors around us. How can acting like Jesus does be impossible? We can’t say, “I’m sorry, I’m only human” all the time, can we? If we say this after every sin, it will sound like a broken record and the lamest excuse ever.
We as Christians should not give excuses. We as Christians should at least try and aim for godliness. So how do we try to be mindful of our own sinfulness and avoid committing them? Perhaps OST will help. O stands for observe. Slow down and watch ourselves as if we’re an author, looking at the main character (us) in a story. Is my action going to be acceptable and pleasing to God? S means soul-searching. When we do this, it shows that we’re at least contemplating between what our body wants versus what our soul needs. Finally, T stands for try. Try and try until we make it. By God’s mercy and grace, we can let go of our sinfulness.
Today’s devotion was written by Edwina Yu
