Twenty Fourth Sunday.
Q. Recently there has been talk about a law against blasphemy. What exactly is blasphemy?
A. Blasphemy means to speak ill of God or sacred beliefs or objects in words of hatred, defiance, mockery or trivialisation. Not only is it seriously disrespectful to God but it is offensive to the religious sensibilities of believers. Profanity, which is close to blasphemy, means taking the sacred name of God or of the Saviour without proper respect. Am I correct in thinking that no other people come near the Irish in the matter of appalling disrespect for the name of Jesus Christ?
Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap
Email silvesteroflynn@gmail.com
Twenty Fifth Sunday.
Hobson’s Choice?
Today’s Gospel reading (Mark 9:30-37) makes you wonder what on earth possessed Jesus to choose the ones he did to become his disciples. He’s teaching them vitally important matters but not only do they not understand what he’s saying, they’re afraid even to ask him what he means. Why? Could they fear that he may tire of them and look for others more intelligent to replace them as his disciples?
Though slow on the uptake, they’re quick on the draw. Self-seeking calculation has them bickering about which of them is top dog. Not only are they a bit dense they’re also small-time glory seekers. Could any group of people be less likely candidates to become Jesus’ disciples!
Yet, he chose them knowing their calibre, and knowing what he was doing. Amazing! Even more amazing is the change in them after Jesus’ death and resurrection, a change that sees them proclaiming a most profound message and establishing a faith-community that has spread throughout the world down to this present day. It was also a change that produced in them total commitment to God even to the point of death.
Bringing it closer to home is it not equally amazing the type of people God still calls today to do his work? I don’t mean priests and religious primarily but parents. What more precious task could be entrusted to a human being than to bring another into this world and introduce them to God?
We too can be dense and self-seeking, yet God has chosen us. How has the gift of life changed us?
Fr Tom Cahill SVD, Divine Word Missionaries, Donamon, Co Roscommon
Email tomcee@svdireland.com
