Mark 9:41-50

Sirach 5:1-8

Psalm 1:14-6

Mark 9:41-50

Jesus said to his disciples:

“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 it 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.

“Everyone will be salted with fire.

Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,

with what will you restore its flavor?

Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, zeal for your house consumes me! I offer you today the sacrifice of my life with a humble and contrite heart. Strength my will with your grace to overcome temptation and persevere through the trials and tribulations that you permit in my life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Unquenchable Fire: When Jesus talks about the punishment reserved for those who scandalize or cause “little ones” to sin, he uses the image of Gehenna and its unquenchable fire. Gehenna was a steep ravine southwest of Jerusalem. Centuries before, Gehenna was the place of the pagan Canaanite worship of Molech, which included child sacrifice. Under the reforms of King Josiah, the site of pagan worship was destroyed (2 Kings 23:10) and eventually became a trash pit. In Jesus’ day, Gehenna was the place where Jerusalem burned its garbage. When Jesus uses the rot and fire of Gehenna as a symbol, it is not that of a purifying fire or place of purging but a place of everlasting punishment. Entry into the everlasting fire of Gehenna due to sin is opposed to and is in stark contrast to entry into the eternal Kingdom of God due to grace.

2. Salt Sayings: In the Gospel, Mark includes three sayings of Jesus about salt. The first somewhat cryptic saying is, “Everyone will be salted with fire.” To understand this, we need to remember that salt was used to preserve and season food in ancient times and that the Temple sacrifices had to be offered with salt. “The Israelites were warned not to insult God with offerings that lack ‘the salt of the covenant of your God’ (Leviticus 2:13) – that is, offerings that are mere perfunctory ritual, devoid of genuine zeal for God and his covenant” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 193). The first saying, then, means that Jesus’ disciples need to maintain the salt of zeal and fervor in their spiritual lives, especially as they endure the “fire” of trial and suffering in this life. The second saying about salt losing its saltiness and becoming useless is found in a similar form in the Gospels of Matthew (5:13) and Luke (14:34-35). In Matthew, Jesus proclaimed that his disciples are called to be the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), meaning that they are to season and preserve the world with peace (Mark 9:50). If Jesus’ disciples fall into a bland, insipid spirituality and mediocrity in their Christian lives, then they have failed to live up to their calling. They are as useless as salt that is not salty. The third saying, “Keep salt in yourselves,” is an exhortation to Jesus’ disciples to maintain their spiritual fervor and zeal as they work to build up the Kingdom of peace and righteousness.

3. Delay Not Your Conversion: The First Reading contains several exhortations in the form of prohibitions. We are warned about the dangers of avarice and presumption: “Do not set your heart on your wealth, nor say, ‘I have enough’” (Sirach 5:1). We are also warned about thinking we are autonomous and accountable to no one: “Do not say, ‘Who will have power over me?’ or ‘Who will bring me down because of my deeds?’ for God will surely punish you” (Sirach 5:3). This is a reminder that we will be judged by God, that our good and evil actions are seen by God, and that one day we will have to give an account of them to God. Sirach then contemplates the reality of sin and gives the following admonitions. First, do not think falsely that because God doesn’t immediately punish you, sin has no consequence. Second, do not think falsely that you can continue to add sin to sin because you can later atone for them. We should not be presumptuous of God’s mercy and should not delay our conversion to the Lord (Sirach 5:7). We do not know the day nor the hour of our death and definitive encounter with the Lord.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I patiently await your return and my definitive encounter with you. I pray that I may be ready to welcome you and your judgment. Help me to examine my conscience, to be thankful for the good things, and to have contrition for my sins.

Living the Word of God: Have I fallen into the temptation and sin of presumption? Do I think my sins have no effect on me or my relationships with others? Do I sin knowing that I can go to confession later? How can I better see each and every sin as a new offense against God’s love for me?