Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time / Msgr. Owen F. Campion
The Sunday Readings
The Book of Jeremiah is the source of the first reading for Mass this weekend. One of the four major prophets of ancient Israel, Jeremiah so firmly saw himself as God’s representative that he wrote as if God were writing through him. In Jeremiah’s works, God often speaks in the first person.
Such is the case in this reading. It reveals the disorder and turmoil that existed in Israel at the time. The split was not only political, but also religious.
Advocates for various views and different interpretations of the Law of Moses did battle with each other.
Assuming the role of prophets, individuals on their own pressed for this viewpoint or another.
In the writing of Jeremiah, God warns the people against these varying approaches to religion. God’s warning is severe. These people—imposters in prophecy—lead people astray. Caring for the people and for their well-being, God predicts doom for those who would mislead others in matters of religion.
God’s people are not helplessly the victims of these frauds. God will send legitimate prophets.
Two lessons are clear: Objective truth is real, given by God. God’s truth is not simply the conclusion reached by humans as to what the truth should be. Individual, subjective interpretation of divine revelation is in fact quite foreign to the Scriptures.
The other truth is that people do not have to struggle to find God’s truth. God will send representatives to speak the truth.
For the next reading, the Church presents a passage from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. This reading recalls that the privilege of the Jews was to know God, whereas other nationalities long were in the dark.
Now, with and through Christ, all peoples can know God. The Holy Spirit comes to all who hear Jesus and who love God, irrespective of race, circumstances or background.
St. Mark’s Gospel furnishes the last reading. It is a reading strong in its explanation of the role and identity of the Apostles.
In this passage, the Apostles have come back to Jesus, having been sent on various missions to teach what the Lord had taught them. It is evident that many people were assembling around Jesus at the time.
However, Jesus quite pointedly took the Apostles aside. He led them to a quiet, private place. This was not a rare occurrence. Jesus often took the Apostles to be alone with them. They were his special students. They were especially commissioned. They knew things about the Lord’s teachings that the rank and file did not know.
Reflection
Directly and clearly, the Church in these readings introduces itself and sets forth its credentials. In so doing, it stresses a fact of belief firmly presented since the days of the Old Testament.
God’s truth is exact. It is neither fluid nor open to compromise and amending. It simply is as it is. All else is fraudulent and unreal. The prophets stressed this fact in the Old Testament.
Those people who usurped the prophets’ places were guilty of great fault and brought upon themselves God’s rebuke, for they mislead the people whom God loved and whom God intended to be holy.
The same theme is evident in this weekend’s New Testament readings.
St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians assures us that the salvation achieved for us by Jesus does not depend upon ethnicity or earthly advantage. It is offered to all. Importantly, however, we need it.
The path to Christ, and thus to God, is not of our own human creation. Those whom Jesus appointed to be our guides, namely the Apostles, whose teachings the Church devoutly keeps and gives to us, guide us along the path.
Just as the Old Testament belittled individual interpretation of revelation and emphasized the prophets, so the New Testament emphasizes the Apostles. †