The Word today, 7C

February 24 - March 01, 2025

Monday 24 February

This week, we begin reading Ecclesiasticus or Sirach or the Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sira. This is a late wisdom book, which survives in its entirely in Greek. Something of the complicated history of the text can be gleaned from the nal chapter, where we read:

Instruction in understanding and knowledge I have written in this book, Jesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach of Jerusalem, whose mind poured forth wisdom. (Sir 50:27) The book is a translation completed some time after 117 BC. The Hebrew original is usually dated to between 195- 180 BC.

The book as a whole is scholarly and belongs not to proverbial wisdom but to tractate wisdom as found in Job or Qoheleth. It contains a number of marvellous nature poems, praising God, the creator, present in all that exists.

Ecclesiasticus 1:1-10 Wisdom is a great gift and who would not like to wise? The writer is aware of that wisdom is both a mystery and a gift. Ecclesiasticus takes up the traditional feminine imagery of Lady Wisdom, the complement of every human being.

Mark 9:14-29 There is a great admission or confession at the heart of this Gospel story: I do have faith. Help the little faith I have! That could be our prayer today: we all have some faith — so there is room for growth!

Tuesday 25 February

Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11 Our reading is both an invitation and warning. A warning rst: the spiritual journey will be demanding. Cf. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31) Then invitation: it is the only journey, full of reward. Ecclesiasticus is deeply reassuring.

Mark 9:30-37 In Mark, each of the three passion predictions is linked directly to a misunderstanding of discipleship following by a teaching on how to be a disciple.

Wednesday 26 February

Ecclesiasticus 4:12-22 The search for wisdom is common to all cultures and takes different forms. In the Bible, wisdom is portrayed as feminine— as mother, wife and companion. To become wise is to desire what God desires, to align ourselves with Lady Wisdom.

Mark 9:38-40 The tendency to exclusivism is common, but it can still surprise that the early Jesus disciples also suffered from. Perhaps that is consoling!! Jesus’ reply is robust and as valid now as then.

Thursday 27 February

St Gregory of Narek, abbot and doctor

Ecclesiasticus 5:1-10 We are told these days to be gentle with ourselves — wholesome advice which could lead to complacency and even spiritual sloth. Ecclesiasticus puts us right in powerful cascade of negative imperatives, each staring with “do not.”

Mark 9:41-50 The warning in the Gospel is not unlike the warnings in the rst reading: whatever gets in the way of discipleship should be resolutely set aside. The sharp humour of the teaching does not not conceal its earnestness.

Friday 28 February

Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17 The wisdom book reect widely on the human condition. Today, the important subject of friends (and enemies) comes up for comment. It would certainly make you think again today, even if it sounds a little worldly wise and would not be out of place in advice columns!

Mark 10:1-12 Jesus’ teaching on divorce is both historical and clear. He calls us back to the great ideal of life-long delity from the book of Genesis. Jesus does not typically legislate and it is likely that here we have the restoration of an ideal, something to be striven for.

Saturday 01 March

St David, bishop

Ecclesiasticus 17:1-13 In one of the psalms, there is a great question: When I look at your heavens, the work of your ngers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? (Psalms 8:3–4) We do all ask who are we in the sight of God, in the grand scheme of things? A very considered answer is given in this reading.

Mark 10:13-16 The desire to protect the leadership can itself be an abuse of power. This was true in the time of Jesus and, of course, just as true today.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025p, February 23). Seventh Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022325.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

SOCL, 7C

Sunday February 23, 2025

(Sexagesima)

See

There exists a fundamental paradox in our relationships: we meticulously calculate our emotional investments seeking equivalent returns. This emotional accounting seems sensible, but reveals our profound insecurity: we fear unilateral generosity because we intuit its destabilizing power. The extraordinary doesn't dwell in reciprocity but in apparent waste.

Turning the other cheek constitutes not weakness: but radical subversion. What appears as submission paradoxically represents freedom—it interrupts the predictable narrative, bewilders the aggressor and exposes a power that needs not impose itself to manifest. True strength emerges precisely where we anticipate vulnerability.

Forgiveness operates as counterintuitive investment: not because it primarily benefits the forgiven, but because it liberates the forgiver. Overflowing abundance doesn't arrive as external reward: it springs from the very act of giving without calculation, revealing that our restrictive economies were always defenses against available fullness.

Listen

1 Sam 26:2, 7-9, 11-13, 22-23; Ps 103 (102); 1 Cor 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38

Reflect

(Luke 6:27-38)

-Examine where you calculate your generosity as a transaction: a friendship, family relationship, or community commitment where you measure what's given against what's received. What fruit does this emotional accounting produce?

-Remember a moment when you responded to offense with offense, perpetuating destructive cycles. Imagine how an unexpectedly generous response would transform that conflict. What prevents you from choosing this subversive path?

-Identify three people you judge harshly and reflect on what these judgments reveal about your own unrecognized wounds. What would change in you if you practiced mercy toward them?

Final Prayer

God of radical abundance, free us from our petty calculations to love without guarantees, forgive without conditions, and give without fear, reflecting your boundless mercy in every encounter with friends and enemies.

References

The Lord is Kind and Merciful

One another, 6C

February 16, 2025

Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26

To God, the Author of love and Source of hope, let us offer our prayers:

For our Church and parish family, that we may become a living, nurturing community of faith: let us pray to the Lord.

For the leaders of the world’s nations, that they may seek justice and equality for all peoples: let us pray to the Lord.

For those who serve our Church as bishops, priests, deacons, and ministers, that they may faithfully and effectively proclaim the gospel of the Resurrection: let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are persecuted and ridiculed for their faith, that, through their witness, God’s mercy and justice may triumph: let us pray to the lord.

For those who mourn, for those who are coping with loss or broken relationships, for those who have lost hope, that they may find, in our care and support, joy, hope, and fulfillment: let us pray to the Lord.

For all who have died [especially _________], that Christ will raise them up to the glory of his Resurrection: let us pray to the Lord.

For the prayers we now offer in the silence of our hearts [Pause...]: let us pray to the Lord.

Deliver us, O God, from the poverty of selfishness, enrich us with the treasure of humble giving; feed us with the bread of your life and love. Hear these prayers we offer to you

in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025n, February 16). Sixth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021625.cfm

-Cormier, J. (1995). Lord, Hear Our Prayer: Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses.