6th Week in Ordinary Time
17th February 2023 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
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Reading of the Day
First Reading: Genesis 11:1-9
The whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech." So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15 (R. 12b)
R/. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen as his heritage.
Gospel : Mark 8:34-9:1
At that time: Calling the crowd to him with his disciples, Jesus said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: To follow the Lord is not to follow the self!
Indicative: Many desire many things in life. But how many desire to follow the Lord? If some want to follow him, they must also know what are the conditions. Mere wish is not enough{alertSuccess}
1. In life, many good things do not happen because people do not put their intention into action. We have often the best of intentions, words, promises, and decisions but not actions. It is because they limit themselves to mere wishful thinking but not implementing what they wish.
2. So today the Lord is drawing our attention to this fact of life. He is speaking about discipleship. He clarifies, “Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”. Therefore mere wishing is not enough. It must follow the required course of action. It must fulfill certain conditions.
3. Now the Lord lays down three essential conditions to be his disciple. Deny one’s own self, Take up one’s own cross, and Follow the Lord. All these are mutually inclusive. The following of one condition faithfully implies that of the other two as well. Therefore one cannot say, “I follow one and the others, No”.
4. To deny self is to restrain and overcome our ego, and egoistic interests. It is to constantly purify and rise above our selfish inclinations. In a world where life is becoming more and more self-centred, where ego has become the centre and norm of everything, we need to set aside our ego. This also calls for a deep spirit of detachment and self-sacrifice.
5. Taking up one’s own cross is the second condition. Each has his own crosses in life. These crosses can be varied. They are the difficulties, problems, and sufferings that we come across. In every cross, there is a sense of burden, struggle, and pain. We need to realise that no one is exempted from crosses.
6. So, first, we need realism to see the crosses as part of life and all the more as part of discipleship. We need to accept them. We need the spirit of courage and determination to struggle to overcome them when it is possible. And we need patience, forbearance, and perseverance when they are not under our control.
7. Finally, follow the Lord. Follow him not only where it is convenient but always and everywhere. We need to follow him especially when it is a matter of standing firm and bearing witness to him. It is a matter of practicing his virtues and values, his approach, and ways of action.
8. All this needs focus and wisdom. We need the wisdom to discern that following the Lord, and gaining one’s soul for eternal life is more important than gaining the whole world. This makes us focused on the Lord and committed to following him.
9. The people in the first reading who start to construct the tower of Babel lacked this wisdom and focus. They were foolish, worldly, and focused on self-glory. Hence, God thwarts their earthly designs.
Imperative: Many in the world suffer from short-sight and short-term goals. They do not go beyond the self and the world. Their whole life is spent boosting up the self and pleasing the world. They are lost!{alertSuccess}