Today’s readings are harsh. In our first reading, St. James tells us that “stuff” is not the way to redemption (James 5:1‑6). Stuff will not last. Material things cannot save us. Not only can things not save us, but they can also condemn us. Too many people get their things at the expense of other people. If you have cheated others to get your stuff, and many people do, the Lord will hear their righteous cries. Too many people have spent their lives getting stuff, and in the end that’s all they have, and you can’t take it with you. I’ve often wondered how some business executives can live with themselves the way they treat their employees. But this reading leaves no doubt where they will end up.
It is hard. We are living in the world. We have worldly desires. We like soft clothes and nice shoes. We like the stuff. It’s hard not to. Stuff is cool and fun. And it is tempting to do whatever we must to get nice stuff. Jesus tells us that if our bodies crave material things so much that we are tempted to sin to get them, we need to do whatever we must to stem that desire. If our feet crave fancy shoes so much that we would steal or cheat to get them, we would be better off to get rid of our feet than to sin to get the shoes. We will be happier in heaven on stumps than be whole and in hell. St. James can be pretty harsh!
Carrying this theme to another level, today the Gospel (Mark 9:41‑50) speaks of scandal. We often find the word “scandal” in the media, but not always with the same meaning that we find today in the Gospel. In our time, it tends to refer to behaviors that we do not expect from famous people. When we read or hear about it, we say, “How terrible! How wicked!” In the Gospel, however, scandals are taken to be any stumbling blocks that impede our journey along Christ’s Way. If a head of state behaves inappropriately with someone in his or her office, that may be scandalous in the media sense, but it is not likely to affect how we live our own Christian faith. In this sense, such behavior is not a scandal.
The Way of Christ is expressed in love and compassion and, wherever that happens, the action is noted and rewarded. If a Christion gives a stranger a drink of water, precisely because that person is known to be a follower of Christ, that Christian will not go unrewarded. On the other hand, if that same Christian refuses to give a drink of water to the stranger, precisely because the giver is known to be a follower of Christ, the lack of action is a scandal to the stranger.
In what ways can we be a scandal, an obstacle to other people coming to know and follow Christ? A wandering hand may steal, may hurt, may sexually abuse. Jesus tells us it would be better to be without a hand than to allow it to do such things. A wandering foot may bring us to places where we are corrupted or cause corruption to others. Jesus tells us that it would be better to be crippled than to be involved in such things. A wandering eye can result in our treating other people, however beautiful and attractive, as mere objects of desire and may lead to worse things. We can read stories or visit websites which may lead us to thoughts and actions harmful both to ourselves and others. Jesus tells us that blindness would be less evil. There are many other examples that you can think of.
Obviously, Jesus is not urging us to carry out such amputations literally. His point is to warn us of the many things which can be stumbling blocks in our Christian lives. Perhaps we could reflect a little today and try to enumerate the things that get between us and our following of Jesus. Then change our scandalous behavior, change being stumbling blocks to others.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!