25th Sunday B

Welcome to ourWelcome to our
Bible StudyBible Study
25th
Sunday in the Ordinary Time B
20 September 2015
In preparation of this Sunday’s liturgy
As aid in focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

1st
reading: Wisdom 2:12.17-20
 12 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.
17 Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
18 For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend
him and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
19 With revilement and torture let us put the just one to
the test that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him.
The focus is on the just one.

Textual Context of Wisdom 2:12.17-20
The Principal Divisions of the Book of Wisdom
(NAB)
 I. Reward of Justice (1,1—6,21)
 II. Praise of Wisdom by Solomon (6,22—11,1)
 III. Special Providence of God on God’s Mercy
(11,17—22,22) and on the folly and shame of
idolary (13,1—15,17)
Historical Context: The Book
of Wisdom was written 100
years before Christ by a Jew
in Alexandria, Egypt, in
Greek in the style of Hebrew
verse.
Wisdom Books / Wisdom
Literature
Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon,
Wisdom*, Ecclesiasticus*

1st
 12 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.
Commentary
 The text is about the just
one whose life is being
plotted against by the
unjust ones (wicked).
 They want to make his life
hard for the following
reasons:
 he is against their evil deeds.
 He reproaches their
transgressions
 He charges their violations (v.12)

1st
 17 Let us see whether his
words be true; let us find out
what will happen to him. 18
For if the just one be the son
of God, God will defend him
and deliver him from the
hand of his foes. 19 With
revilement and torture let us
put the just one to the test
that we may have proof of his
gentleness and try his
patience.
20 Let us condemn him to a
shameful death; for
according to his own words,
God will take care of him.
 Vv.17-20 enumerate the dirty
tricks of the unjust against
the just:
 Let us test his words, v.17
 Let us find out what will
happen to him, v.17
 Let us see if this just one is the
son of God. V.18
 Let us test if God will defend
him (v.18)
 Let us revile and torture him
and find out if he is truly gentle
and patient. V.19
 Let us condemn him to death,
v.20
 In v.20, they also test God.

Reflections on the 1st
reading
 The just ones (the sincere ones) are not spared of
intrigues and plots (negative energies) of evil people.
 But one just man can “torment” a lot of wicked people.
 The reading encourages the just to continue to be so.
 Their role is to make the wicked uncomfortable of their
wicked ways.
 It encourages the wicked to abandon their plot
because God will prevail over their wicked schemes.
 The just ones (the good ones, those who are trying hard to
be holy, peaceful and kind and just) are God’s
instruments in shaking away evil forces in this world.

Responsorial Ps. 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8
 R. (6b)The Lord upholds my life.
 3 O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
4 O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.
 5 For the haughty men have risen up against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they set not God before their eyes.
 6 Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
8 Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.

Responsorial Ps. 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8
 R. (6b)The Lord upholds my life.
 3 O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
4 O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.
 5 For the haughty men have risen up
against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they set not God before their eyes.
 6 Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
8 Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for
its goodness.
Commentary
 The psalm is a prayer for help.
 Vv.3-4 articulate the prayer of
the psalmist who is in difficulty.
 V.5 describes why he is in
such a situation:
 Haughty men are against him.
 Ruthless men seek his life.
 They are Godless.
 In v.6, the psalmist anticipates
God’s help.
 God will spare him from death.
 In v.8, he promises to offer
sacrifice and praise, in
freedom.

Reflections on the Psalm
 We must not forget to approach God when we are
in trouble.
 We must not be ashamed to show our
powerlessness to God, when we are surrounded
with enemies (syndicates).
 In times of danger, as we pray for help, we
anticipate praising God.

2nd
reading: James 3:16—4:3
 16 Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there
is disorder and every foul practice. 17 But the
wisdom from above is first of all pure, then
peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and
good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. 18
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for
those who cultivate peace.
 4,1 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? 2 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. 3 You ask but do
not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it
on your passions.
The focus is on wisdom.

2nd
 16 Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there
is disorder and every foul practice. 17 But the
wisdom from above is first of all pure, then
peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and
good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. 18
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for
those who cultivate peace.
 4,1 Where do the wars and where do the conflicts
among you come from? Is it not from your passionspassions
that make war within your members? 2 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. 3 You ask but do
not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it
on your passions.
The underlined words result from passion.

Textual Context of James 3:16-4.3
DIVISION ACCORDING TO CONTENTS (TOPICS): (R. Brown)
 1:1: Greetings (Opening Formula)
 1:2-18: The role of trials and temptations
 1:19-27: Words and deeds
 2:1-9: Partiality toward the rich
 2:10-13: Keeping the whole Law
 2:14-26: Faith and works
 3:1-12: Power of the tongue
 3:13-18: Wisdom from above
 4:1-10: Desires as the cause of division
 4: 11-12: Judging one another as judging the Law
 4:13-17: Further arrogant behaviour
 5:1-6: Warning to the rich
 5:7-11: Patience till the coming of the Lord
 5:12-20: Admonitions on behaviour within the community

2nd
 16 For where jealousy and selfish
ambition exist, there is disorder
and every foul practice. 17 But the
wisdom from above is first of all
pure, then peaceable, gentle,
compliant, full of mercy and good
fruits, without inconstancy or
insincerity. 18 And the fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.
 4,1 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? 2 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. 3 You
ask but do not receive, because
you ask wrongly, to spend it on
your passions.
Commentary
 The text talks about wisdom and
what it brings about: peace.
 The opposite of wisdom is
passions (also jealousy and
selfish ambition, v.16).
 The text is emphatic on the
consequences of passions:
 Wars, conflicts, (4,1) foul
practice, covetousness, non-
possession (4,2), prayer
ineffective, wish not granted
(4,3).
 Passions (4,1) = jealousy, selfish
ambition (3,16).
 Passions stand in opposition to
God and to his teachings on
wisdom.
 In contrast, wisdom that belongs
to God is peaceable, gentle,
compliant, full of mercy… see v.17

Reflections on the 2nd
reading
 We must possess the wisdom of God, which leads to
peace.
 Each Christian must examine what controls him/her:
passions or wisdom.
 Passions may be interpreted here as unbridled
emotions, impulse, reactions, compulsions, irrational
behavior, inordinate craving for things…
 If we are controlled by our passions, we will never
have peace within and without.

Gospel reading: Mark 9:30-37
 30 Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey
through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
 31 He was teaching his disciples and telling them, "The Son of
Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three
days after his death he will rise." 32 But they did not understand
the saying, and they were afraid to question him.
 33 They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he
began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?"
34 But they remained silent. They had been discussing among
themselves on the way who was the greatest.
 35 Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If
anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the
servant of all."
 36 Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms
around it he said to them,
 37 "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name,
receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the
one who sent me."
The focus is on being the greatest.

Fate of the Son of Man, teaching not understood
 30 Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey
through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. 31 He
was teaching his disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is to
be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after
his death he will rise." 32 But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
Argument on the way: who is the greatest?
 33 They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he
began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" 34
But they remained silent. They had been discussing among
themselves on the way who was the greatest.
The greatest is the servant of all.
 35 Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If
anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant
of all." 36 Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his
arms around it he said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one child
such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the one who sent me."
A simple outline!

Textual Context of Mark 9:30-37
Part I The Mystery of the Messiah: Revelation of Jesus' Person (1,14--8,30)
Three sections, each beginning with a summary of the activity of Jesus and a narrative
concerning the disciples and concluding with the adoption of an attitude in regard
to Jesus.
A. Jesus and the Crowds 1,14--3,6 (1,14f, 16-20; 3,60)
B. Jesus and his Own 3,7--6,6a (3,7-12.13-19; 6,1-6a)
C. Jesus, the Disciples and the Gentiles 6,6b- 8,30 (6,6b; 6,7-31; 8,27-30)
Conclusion and Transition 8,27-33
Confession of Peter
First Prophecy of the Passion
Correction of Peter
Part II The Mystery of the Son of Man: Revelation of Jesus' sufferings 8,31-16,8
A. The Way of the Son of Man 8,31--10,52
Indicated by 3 announcements of the fate of the Son of Man and 3 instructions
on the lot of the disciples.
B. Jesus in Jerusalem 11,1--13,37
C. Passion and Resurrection 14,1--16,8
The Later Ending 16,9-20

Jesus was teaching
somewhere here.
v.33 They
came to
Capernaum

Fate of the Son of Man,
teaching not understood
 30 Jesus and his disciples
left from there and began a
journey through Galilee, but
he did not wish anyone to
know about it. 31 He was
teaching his disciples and
telling them, "The Son of
Man is to be handed over to
men and they will kill him,
and three days after his
death he will rise." 32 But
they did not understand the
saying, and they were afraid
to question him.
Commentary
 In v.30, Jesus and his disciples
leave the Mt. of Transfiguration and
journey through Galilee.
 Jesus wants to move incognito.
 In v.31, Jesus informs what will
happen to him (again):
 To be handed over to men
 They will kill him
 He will rise after 3 days.
 In v.32, the author comments:
 they don’t understand; they are
afraid to ask.

Who is the greatest?
 33 They came to
Capernaum and, once
inside the house, he
began to ask them,
"What were you
arguing about on the
way?" 34 But they
remained silent. They
had been discussing
among themselves on
the way who was the
greatest.
 In v.33, they arrive at
Capernaum (Jesus’
headquarters).
 In v.33b, Jesus asks what the
disciples were arguing about
along the way.
 The author, not the disciples,
gives the answer in v.34b.
 About who is the greatest? A
different subject matter.

The greatest is the servant
of all.
 35 Then he sat down,
called the Twelve, and
said to them, "If anyone
wishes to be first, he shall
be the last of all and the
servant of all."
 36 Taking a child he
placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms
around it he said to
them, 37 "Whoever
receives one child such
as this in my name,
receives me; and
whoever receives me,
receives not me but the
one who sent me."
 In v.35, Jesus takes this
occasion to teach the Twelve
about the greatest (the first).
 He is the last of all, in the list.
 He is the servant of all, not
just of some. V.36
 He receives the child in his
name. (= receives also the
Father) V.37

Reflections on the gospel readingReflections on the gospel reading
 Jesus defines who is the greatest. The greatest is
the one who serves all, without distinction and
discrimination, including little children.
 Jesus serves all. He is the greatest, in his
passion, death and resurrection.
 The world has a different definition on who is the
greatest:
Materially well-off
Successful in business
Prestigious, wields power

Reflections on the gospel readingReflections on the gospel reading
 The greatest according to the world serves only
the ones who can give him more power, more
money and more prestige.
 They serve themselves.
 If we want to be the greatest, we are obliged to
serve everyone in the community, including those
we don’t like.

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
 The first reading talks about the fate of the
just one.
 The psalm is a prayer of a just person
whose life is being threatened.
 The second reading talks about living in
wisdom.
 The gospel defines who is the greatest.
We talk about the greatest: servant of all (gospel), living in wisdom (2nd
reading), and being just (1st
reading).

How to develop your homily and sharing
 Who is the greatest?
 Ambitious people seek to be the greatest.
 They want always to be number one, the first.
 For them the greatest is the one who is the
most wealthy, the most powerful and most
prestigious, most popular, best dressed,
mabenta, by hook or by crook, by all means…

 In the gospel reading, Jesus defines who is the
greatest.
 Jesus teaches his disciples how to be the
greatest in the eyes of God.
 To be the greatest,
they must serve all. (They must not be selective,
choosy)
their love must embrace all (including those who give
them headaches).
 You can be the number one in God’s kingdom if
you don’t choose whom you serve and love.
 You are the greatest if your heart has a room for
everyone.

 The disciples missed the point when they were
arguing among themselves about who is the
greatest.
 In front of them was the greatest.
 They did not recognize him because they were
thinking in human terms.
 God has a different standard.
 Jesus passes God’s standards.
 He serves all peoples, including children and
society’s liabilities, and the enemies of Israel.
 He will soon show how it can be best demonstrated:
 by his sufferings and death on the cross on Mt.
Calvary.

 The first reading focuses on the just man.
 He must be the greatest also in the eyes of God.
 By being just (fears God, does not violate the rights of
others), he torments those who are unjust.
 He unmasks their evil deeds.
 His righteousness embarrasses the wicked
people.
 He drives them crazy.
 That’s why, they don’t like him.
 So they will find a way to put him down or
eliminate him.
 The psalm is the prayer of the just man who feels
threatened.

 The second reading talks about wisdom.
 Wisdom is understood as gentle, peaceful,
compliant, etc.
 It promotes peace and justice.
 The opposite of wisdom is passion and
ambition.
 The reading uses the plural form “passions.”
 Passions lead us to chaos and destruction.
 We Christians must be controlled by God’s
wisdom, not by our passions, if we want to live
peaceful and happy lives.

 What happens if we allow passions to rule over us?
 There will be chaos in our churches and
communities.
 It is caused by people who have unbridled passion
for power, prestige and recognition.
 Chaos can also be caused by the underdogs or
those who have been put aside, by spreading
rumors and confusion.
 The disaffected, if they are not careful, can also
demolish the good ones.
 What a way to waste God’s gifts!

 The readings should serve as an inspiration to
the leaders of the church.
 Those who aspire for leadership in the society
(to be the greatest) must possess the same
qualities and virtues:
They must be just and righteous.
They must possess wisdom.
Magnanimous
Available to serve everyone
Ability to live for one’s principles
Not killers, murderers and assassins of
opponents

 In the eucharist, we encounter our greatest leader,
Jesus Christ.
 In the eucharist, we meet this great leader who gives
himself to us again.
 In this eucharist, Jesus asks us to govern our
families and communities with love and devotion.

Our Context of Sin and Grace
 Lust for power, prestige and wealth
 Greedy, dirty politicians
 Shameless accumulation of property
and real estate
 Bribing the innocent and the cause-
oriented
 War freak
 Mining
 Institutional violence
 Salvaging
 Harassments
 Demolition squad
 Passionate
 Wise, prudent
 Unworldly
 Principled servant-
leader
 Just and charitable

Suggested Songs
 We are made for service
 Make Me a Servant
 Theme of Life
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NiqOkXYY0A
 Buhay Maging Maligaya
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh0VyqcYK3I
 Peace Prayer of St. Francis
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCV5THfsH7g

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