These Are Prophetic Times

Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Surely we have seen a prophet in our midst with Pope Francis last week. How blessed we are to have prophetic figures leading our Church over the last fifty years or more: Pope Benedict, Saint John Paul II, Blessed Paul VI and Saint John XXIII. It has not always been this way in the history of the Church.
Pope Francis addresses the joint houses of Congress and then goes to lunch in a homeless shelter, and is totally happy to do so, greeting all the people one-by-one. What he says and what he does is a unity that is hard to miss and helps us to understand very well the reading from Numbers (11: 25-29) this week and the Gospel of Mark (9:38-48).
Moses said to Joshua when he heard a complaint that two other men were prophesying who were not chosen in the original seventy, ‘If only all God’s people were prophets and had God’s spirit!’ And ‘No one who performs a mighty deed in my name can at the same time speak ill of me…anyone who gives you a cup of water because you belong to Christ will surely not lose his reward.’ From our Baptism we are all called to be prophetic in reading the signs of the times, to do small things purely for the sake of God, and it makes a difference.
Pope Francis has been saying in many ways that money is the center of our economic system and the hub of our lives, and this is a great mistake. The human person ought to be the center of our culture or else we make the same mistakes that were made in the last century where millions were killed, starved or exterminated because of ideologies. We are called to serve people, not ideologies, not money, not profits. And to care for the world that God has given us that has been so misused for the last 150 years.
Some scholars think that St. James, who we hear from this week (5: 1-6) was put to death because of what he said to the rich people of the time: “Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and this will be a testimony against you.” The mistakes of the rich will be apparent at the judgment when we die and in a way the last days are already here. At least one can see the mistakes of the world today and how prophetic James is for our times. When you put your trust in material things it is always a mistake. They will always corrode; it is true for all of us.
The idea of tithing has always been important in the Church so that you and I overcome this idol of money. God is a giver and helps us also to give. A Christian, a disciple of Christ is one who offers what he has. Start small; can you give back to God one hour of your time, or the equivalent of your hourly wage, each week? Give it to the poor or whoever you want, give it anonymously. It is very different to give in a more reflective, sacrificial way than to give a few bucks out of what is in my pocket; the former helps you to change.
The Gospel makes a very good point about occasions of sin, which are situations where I am likely to make a mistake. And Jesus tells us to cut those things out of our lives. An alcoholic ought not to frequent a bar. Better not to go to that place at work where people gather to gossip. Someone who has a weakness for bad sites on the internet would be better off to have a computer with a filter, especially in his room. These are situations that cause us to sin, to fall, to be sad and or lives are much easier when we avoid them. This is wise advice and begins with the premise that I am weak and I can easily do something stupid, or my kids can when they are in certain situations.
As we have been hearing for the last five weeks, let us be doers of the Word of God that we hear weekly, or often, and ask the Lord to help us.

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