A Commentary and Reflection on the Readings for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year B. The Liturgical Sense of the Scriptures Podcast, by Catholic Author and Theologian David L. Gray. READINGS: Isaiah 55:10-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, and Mark 10:25-45.
The Liturgy of the Catholic Mass Set Us Free from Vanity and Guilt
It was our hope when we read in last week’s Gospel in Mark 10:17-30 that the rich young man, touched by the profound words of Christ, relinquished all his possessions and returned, transformed, to follow Jesus. We hope his journey reflected the eternal truth: nothing we own can ever surpass the divine embrace of God’s love. While the world may extol the virtues of material success, rewarding vanity and temporal achievements, we recognize a higher calling that transcends these fleeting accolades.
Knowing this, when we read in today’s Gospel Reading for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B from Mark 10:25-45 that James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus asked, “Grant that in your glory, we may sit one at your right and the other at your left,” we understand that they were simply inclining toward their fallen human nature to pursue vanity, which can be defined as the pursuit of self-worth outside of God. To which Jesus replied, “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In other words, true value and worth are not found in self outside of God but in service to God who sacrificed Himself so that we might be found worthy to God.
Indeed, we should always feel an innate debt to those who have sacrificed for us, starting with our parents or caregivers who laid the foundation of our lives. Friends and strangers who extend their time and effort for our benefit etch their kindness into our hearts. However, despite their significant roles, our parents did not absolve our sins, and none but our Savior stepped out of eternity to offer His very life, granting us the promise of eternal life.
The same applies to the material objects that populate our lives. No matter their value or our attachment to them, we must see them as transient tools, not eternal treasures. Greed, the disordered affection for these things, reveals itself when we cannot let go of earthly possessions that hold no place in Heaven. Such an attachment is futile and perilous, as greed, a capital sin, paves the path to spiritual ruin.
Today’s readings at Mass are a reminder that he who has found something greater than God has found vanity. For, who has done more or offered us a better life than He who Isaiah 55:10-11 in today’s First Reading says gave “his life as an offering for sin.” Christ Jesus, who is the essence of the liturgy of Catholic Mass, whom we encounter personally, Duetero-Isaiah says, “Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.”
Guilt is the burden of sin, but Christ Jesus, our High Priest “who has passed through the heavens,” according to today’s Second Reading from Hebrews 4:14-16, undertook the ultimate sacrifice to remove this guilt. He who was without sin and tested in every way chose to bear the world’s sin so that those who believe in Him might be liberated from sin and free to enter the gates to eternal life. This act of divine love is shared again and again – from the rising of the sun until its setting in the liturgy of the Catholic Mass, where we participate in His redemptive sacrifice. Through the Divine Symphony of the Mass, we share the life and freedom that Christ’s sacrifice grants. It is this singular and sacred celebration that draws us into the heart of the Paschal Mystery.
Christ Jesus, the remedy for our sins and guilt, has shared divine freedom with us through the Sacraments of the Church and even Himself as the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the liturgy of the Mass, which is His essence and communion with those who are being called home to the Eternal Father. Therefore, our call today is to run to freedom in Christ so that we might be set free from the vanities of self.
This is just one way the readings at Mass this Sunday connect to the liturgy and how the liturgy is forming us on how to live our lives in the world. Be in the world what you have received through the liturgy.
