Scripture Reflections for Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

🙶 The Bible is full of stories of people who seem to be weak but turn out to be fit for purpose when they are prepared to rely on God’s support. 🙷

Fr. Gordian Marshall. "Wisdom and Confidence." Torch. September 24, 2006

"When I first joined Maryknoll Lay Missioners in 1999, I had a vague idea that I would be helping the poor and disadvantaged. Now, I realize that this attitude could lead me to feel superior and thus view the people with whom I would be living and working as inferior. I soon discovered that even though I had gifts and talents to share, I also had a lot to learn from the people. I did..."

Debbie Northern. "Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time." Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. September 19, 2021

"“Who is the greatest?” This question might seem childish to us, but for those who first followed Jesus it was a very real question. We probably cannot fully grasp how deeply status was ingrained in the cultures from which the gospels come to us. Your standing affected how you lived your life from day to day, how you related to other people and they to you. Working out the appropriate honour and respect due to..."

Fr. Dermot Morrin. "Who is the Greatest?." Torch. September 16, 2015

"We tend to side with the people who agree with us or with arguments we find congenial to our own views. We read the newspapers which complement the image we have of ourselves and reinforce our political allegiance and the way we see the world. For example, whose side do we take in an industrial dispute? Workers go on strike because they consider they are undervalued and not being paid enough and see the management..."

Fr. Anthony Axe. "Challenged to Serve." Torch. September 23, 2012

🙶 And that’s what our Christian vocation is about. It’s allowing Jesus to call us into his crazy world of death=glory, weak=strong, leader=servant, child=God. 🙷

Fr. Colin Carr. "Death and Glory." Torch. September 20, 2009

"Today’s readings invite us to become great in the sight of God by doing God’s will, as Jesus did, surrendering our lives to Him by serving others. The passage from the Book of Wisdom sounds like a messianic prophecy similar to the “Suffering Servant” prophecy in Isaiah referring to Christ’s passion. It tells us how hard and challenging it could be when we decide to choose the path of righteousness. It is a decision that..."

Father Lawrence Obilor. "Great through humble service." A Catholic Moment. September 19, 2021

"Today’s reading from the book of Wisdom is very appropriate for the times we live in when adherence to faith and to Christian values is often mocked by the secular world and even some Christians can be found apologizing for what many people see as unenlightened attitudes. The mistake made by ‘the godless’ in this reading is all too clear – they think that they have all the necessary evidence to make an informed judgment...."

Fr. John Patrick Kenrick. "Childlike but not Childish." Torch. September 13, 2021

"I saw a post on social media a while back from a friend who had just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. They mentioned a quote from the end of the book that goes like this:"

Joseph LaCombe. "Now, Fight!." A Catholic Moment. September 23, 2018

"What an intriguing combination of readings this Sunday. They combine the readings about the suffering servant, a figure for the crucified Christ, Jesus’ own prediction of His impending crucifixion, and the teachings about humility and simplicity. The conjunction of these texts clearly suggests, as James says, that the suffering, division, and war that afflict us and the Suffering Servant, and which crucified Jesus, are all related to the “jealousy and ambition” which provoke our need..."

Phil and Kathy Dahl-Bredine. "Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time." Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. September 23, 2018

"The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, speaks of a community of “the godless” planning to gang up on a tiresomely virtuous person who questions their standards; perhaps the godless are Jews in Alexandria, where the book may well have been written, who have accommodated too comfortably to the Greek-style culture of that city and find that their fellow-Jews who are more distinctively and traditionally observant of their Jewish heritage, make them feel uncomfortable...."

Fr. Colin Carr. "The Power of the Contemptible." Torch. September 19, 2018

"Recently, a presenter on the radio was complaining about Christianity: I thought it was about gentleness and compassion, but instead all I heard was triumphalist, militant talk. He’d gone to an Easter service for the first time since childhood, and been confronted with Christ as the triumphant conqueror. The language of Easter, of victory over sin and death, does not readily resonate with modern people. They understand the language of Christmas much better:"

Fr. Leon Pereira. "Not for the weak?." Torch. September 21, 2003