22 September 2024 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 2:12,17-20
The wicked prepare to ambush the just man the godless say to themselves: ‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing. ‘Let us see if what he says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’
Psalm 53(54):3-6,8 The Lord upholds my life.
James 3:16-4:3
Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
Reflection
There was a boy named Arjun who lived in a small, bustling village. Arjun was quiet, often overlooked by the other children who played noisily in the streets. His clothes were worn, his shoes always dusty, and his voice too soft to be heard in the crowd. Most people passed him by without a second glance, as if he were part of the background.
But there was one person who noticed him — an elderly woodcarver named Dada, who had a tiny shop on the edge of the village. Every evening, after the sun began to set, Arjun would sit outside Dada’s shop, watching him carve intricate designs into blocks of wood. Unlike the others, Dada saw something in Arjun. He saw the boy’s quiet fascination, the glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.
One evening, Dada called Arjun inside and handed him a small block of wood. “Carve,” he said simply. Arjun hesitated but took the piece of wood and the carving knife. His hands trembled at first, but as the minutes passed, he found a rhythm, his fingers moving with a surprising natural skill.
Dada smiled, watching in silence as Arjun worked. He didn’t need words to understand the boy’s gift. From that day on, every evening, Dada would teach Arjun the art of carving. In a world where most people never even saw him, Arjun found a place where he was valued — not for being loud or bold, but for the quiet beauty he created with his hands.
In time, people from the village began to notice the beautiful carvings displayed in Dada’s shop, not knowing they were crafted by the boy they once ignored. But to Arjun, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that one person had seen him when no one else did.
In Mark 9:30-37, Jesus speaks to His disciples about His impending suffering, death, and resurrection. However, they do not understand His message, and instead of asking Him for clarity, they argue among themselves about who among them is the greatest. Jesus, knowing their hearts, calls a child to Him and says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me… the one who is least among you all, he is the greatest.”
Comparing this passage to the story of Arjun, both narratives emphasize how true value is often found where the world least expects it. In Arjun’s story, the boy is ignored by most people, seen as insignificant or invisible. Yet, Dada recognizes Arjun’s quiet gift and nurtures it, showing that greatness doesn’t lie in being noticed by the crowd but in one’s true worth. Similarly, Jesus teaches that greatness isn’t about power or status but about humility, service, and welcoming the overlooked and the least valued—like the child.
The disciples’ argument about who is the greatest parallels the way the villagers ignore Arjun. Just as the villagers focus on more visible or louder things and miss Arjun’s hidden talent, the disciples are preoccupied with their status, missing the deeper lesson Jesus is trying to teach them. Both the villagers and the disciples value worldly measures of greatness—status, recognition, and power—while Jesus and Dada see the true value in humility, service, and quiet gifts.
In essence, both stories reveal that greatness is not found in outward appearances or recognition but in humility, kindness, and recognizing the worth in what the world often overlooks.
It is this wisdom that is starkly modelled in the way Jesus willingly lives through his suffering. Even though they are too concerned in their own benefits, Jesus instructs his disciples by the same wisdom, knowing that they too will need to live with their hardships and trails. All that matters is that the one person who sees us is God, even when no one else notices.
Isaiah 43:4
“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.”