St. Margaret’s Forres
There are two attitudes, or mind-sets, or approaches to life. They are radically different, and opposed to one another. One is worldly, the other Christian. The worldly attitude puts self first, and seeks to gain what it can for whatever seems good for Me. The Christian attitude puts self aside, or even puts self to death (cf. Rm 8:13, Col 3:5 etc.). Instead it looks to Jesus, to God; seeking always and above all to follow Jesus, to belong to him, to be united with him.
In today’s second reading St. James mentions some of the symptoms of the worldly attitude: jealousy and ambition, disharmony, wickedness and fighting. In today’s Gospel according to St. Mark, when Jesus predicts his imminent death and resurrection, his closest disciples fail to understand what he says. Their minds still, for now, remain essentially worldly, and such talk makes no sense to them. They then shamefully embark on an undignified scramble for first place in the coming Kingdom: and that too betrays a worldly attitude.
St. John will summarise these two contrasting attitudes as darkness and light. In the Prologue to his Gospel he observes that darkness cannot comprehend the light. By that he means both that darkness cannot ever understand the light, and also that darkness can never finally overwhelm the light. Later in his first Letter St. John draws the contrast between love of this world and love of God (cf. I Jn 2:15). And he concludes: The world with all its lusts passes away. But the one who does the will of the Father abides forever (I Jn 2:17).
St. Paul speaks of two principles that are incompatible, and are at war within all of us: the flesh and the spirit. In Romans Chapter 8 Paul says: The wisdom of the flesh is death; whereas the wisdom of the spirit is life and peace … Those who live according to the flesh are not able to be pleasing to God … but those who live by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rm 8:6,8,14).
All of us tend to have a worldly attitude. We inherited it from our first parents. Also we all live in a secular environment that constantly reinforces it. So: if we want to counter the worldliness that is in us – and we should! - then we have a lot of hard work to do. As for the contrasting Christian attitude: above all, this, we say, is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Still, we have a lot of work to do here also, in order to foster and maintain this spirit within us. There has to be a complete turn-around, conversion, of our natural impulses, our natural thoughts, our natural instincts, our approach to everything. There are certain guidelines that the Christian needs to follow in order to walk “according to the Spirit”, or “in the Light”, or simply with God; and not to be worldly. So: we have to pray a lot, and read Holy Scripture a lot, and contemplate Jesus crucified, and be generous, unselfish, compassionate, patient, self-controlled, good. We are to follow Jesus as our ever inspiring leader, and teacher, and example. But beyond even all that: we have to identify ourselves with Jesus. We have to enter into a real mystical union with him: and especially with him as crucified and risen. We have to live with the life of Jesus. Jesus has to be our life, our joy, our all.
So St. Paul cried out to the Galatians: With Christ I hang upon the Cross, and yet I am alive; or rather, not I; it is Christ who lives in me … My real life is the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Gal 2:20-21 – Knox translation).
St. Mark tells us in today’s Gospel that the disciples did not understand what Jesus said about his death, and were afraid to ask. Did they love Jesus? for sure they did! Did they want to follow him? Absolutely! But a horrible death? Oh no – let us try hard not to think about that; let us not look at it; let us just hope it never actually happens.
But according to the plan of this Gospel, Jesus has already now brought his public ministry to an end. He does not want anyone to know where he is; he wants to avoid any more public miracles, because all his focus now is towards his Paschal mystery – his saving death and glorious resurrection. Why? Because by that we are saved – by that Jesus gives us life – by that our sins are washed away, we are reconciled to God, the Holy Spirit is poured out, the Holy Trinity is made manifest – by that we are given access to eternal joy with God in heaven.
Our following of Jesus then must above all be through death, towards resurrection. So we have to die to sin, die to this world, die to worldly ambition, die to all worldly attitudes; die to jealousy, and hardness of heart, and self-promotion, and pride and lust and the rest. Then we must live to God; live in the Spirit; live as already citizens of heaven; live in constant thanksgiving, and constant joy, and constant prayer (cf. I Thess 5:17). And we must constantly live, or walk, in love (cf. Rm 12:9, 13:8, Col 3:14 etc.)
Jesus has given us Sacraments to enable us to carry out this great project for our life. We have the Sacrament of confession, or penance, or reconciliation, to help us rid ourselves of all worldly habits and ways. Then we have the Holy Eucharist, through which we are united with Jesus in his death and in his life; in his body, and in his blood; in his soul, and in his divinity.
One very important indication of whether or not we are on the right track is the virtue of humility. Humility is a foremost mark of the Christian attitude, as opposed to the worldly one. If we lack humility, then we are worldly, for this world knows nothing of true or Christian humility. But Jesus, Son of God, was humble. He was humble before his heavenly Father, and also humble before us. Jesus humbled himself, even to the death of the Cross. Become like children, says Jesus (cf. Mk 10:15) and you will be great indeed. God will raise you up. You will inherit the Kingdom: and be one with me in my eternal glory forever.