The wicked heart blinds us to what is important. The reading on Sunday Sept 22, 2024 were a potent reminder of that fact and that we need to be aware of the movement of our own heart.
The first reading was from the book of Wisdom (2:12, 17-20)
The wicked say: “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.”
My 1950 Catholic Bible for the same passage is written:
The wicked want to persecute the just: “Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn (He has different values or goals), and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth us against us the sins of our way of life.”
The second reading was from James (3:16- 4:3)
Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
My 1950 Catholic Bible for the same passage is written:
“For where there is envy and contentiousness, there is instability in every wicked deed. Whence do wars and quarrels come among you? Is it not from this, from your passions, which wage war in your members? You covet and do not have; you kill and envy, and cannot obtain. You quarrel and wrangle, and you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it upon your passions.”
The Gospel – Mark 9:30-37
“They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.”
My 1950 Catholic Bible for the same passage is written:
“And they came to Capharnaum. When he was at home, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they kept silence, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.”
Most scholars date the writing of the Book of Wisdom between 200 BC and the late first century BC, making it roughly 2,200 years old. In this passage, we see that the wicked seek to persecute the just because the just expose their sinful way of life. Human nature remains unchanged, and if we aspire to true greatness and choose the path of righteousness, we must do so despite the painful consequences brought on by the wicked, who are always in abundant supply.
Wisdom simply calls the just obnoxious. James talks about the effects of a wicked heart—selfish ambitions and desires that destroy peace and lead to conflicts both within our own hearts and also between nations.
The Gospel recounts how, just after Christ clearly told the disciples that He would be killed in Jerusalem, they were instead caught up in a discussion about who among them was the greatest. Their focus on status blinded them to the gravity of what Christ had said.
Today’s society sends the message that we should do whatever it takes to achieve success as defined by the secular world. In our pursuit of this kind of success, we often see how people lose their sense of direction, they are blind and deaf to Christ’s teaching, and due to that place Him last in their lives.
