SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Wednesday

Year II

Readings

First Reading
Jas 4:13–17

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 49:2–3, 6–7, 8–10, 11

Gospel
Mk 9:38–40

Meditation on Today’s Readings

Taken from the Vatican II Sunday and Weekday Missal
Written by Celia Sirois

In today’s reading, James warns against “boasting in your arrogance.” John’s words to Jesus in the Gospel story show more than a little arrogance and pretension: “We saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us”—that is, he is not one of us. In answer, Jesus the teacher takes his cue from Moses, that other great teacher. Numbers 11 recounts how Joshua wanted to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying because they had not gone as commanded to the tent of meeting. But Moses answered, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets!” In a similar situation, Jesus also counsels tolerance: “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

As Christians, we have been baptized in Jesus’ name, but that name does not belong to us. We do not have exclusive rights to the wisdom and power of God revealed in Jesus. Being wise men, Moses and Jesus both recognized that wisdom, the power of God, often walks with us “as a stranger,” as Sirach puts it.

The copyright for the Sunday Missal Introductions is:
Copyright (c) 2001, Daughters of St. Paul
The copyright for the Weekday Missal Introduction is:
Copyright (c) 2002, Daughters of St. Paul