THE TEXT BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE VIDEO COMMENTARY BY FR. FERNANDO ARMELLINI

Video Text Download version

A good Sunday to all. 

The proud, arrogant, and somewhat vain person does not attract sympathy; it is evident that he acts to show off and assert himself. If someone who is a little annoyed by his preciousness dares to point it out to him, that person is ashamed. The hearts of Jesus’ disciples were also filled with this personal pride. 

Let us remember what last Sunday’s Gospel told us. On the road, they were arguing over who would be first, and when Jesus came home, he asked them what they had been arguing about along the way, but they did not answer because they were ashamed to be involved in a conversation Jesus did not want to hear about. This personal pride, this impulse to dominate and impose oneself on others, comes from the evil one, not from the Spirit of Christ, which leads to choosing the last place, the place of service. 

This pride is easily noticed; it is immediately apparent; it cannot be kept hidden. There is another form of pride that is subtler and more dangerous because it is not easy to detect and is well hidden. It is the group pride that mimics. Sometimes it takes the form of zeal for God; other times, it presents itself as love for the Church, but upon closer analysis, it remains an expression of the desire to compete, to affirm one’s superiority, not as a person, because they are ashamed, but as a group. It is not the attitude of one who puts oneself at the service of others to help them in their search for truth and goodness. 

As we know, this group pride always leads to fanaticism, sectarianism, and opposition to others. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus wants to put us on guard against this subtle group pride. Let’s listen to what happened: 

John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.’ Jesus replied, ‘Do not prevent him. No one performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.’ 

Let us notice that John appears as an eminent figure among the disciples, more concerned than the others with the reputation of the group to which he belongs. I told you before that these people easily become fanatics; this is the case with John and his brother James, who received from Jesus a not-very-pleasant nickname, ‘boanergués,’ meaning ‘people who easily unleash hurricanes and storms,’ i.e., fundamentalists and fanatics. The evangelist Luke also reminds us that when Jesus and his disciples arrived in Samaria and the Samaritans did not receive them, the two brothers came to Jesus and said, ‘You must do as Elijah did; let us call down fire from heaven to burn up all these unbelievers.’ And Jesus turned and rebuked them. 

John comes to Jesus and says, “Teacher, we saw one driving out demons in your name.” What does it mean to invoke the name of Jesus? Ancient healers pronounced the names of angels and demons during exorcisms, as well as the names of certain famous personages known for their therapeutic powers, believing that these names contributed to the efficacy of their interventions. Josephus Flavius, the historian, reports that a certain Eleazar cast out demons by invoking the name of Solomon, considered the protector of all who cultivated knowledge. And as Jesus had also become famous, there were healers who, among other names, invoked the name of Jesus. 

John ran to the Master and said to him: ‘We have a dangerous rival out there who heals people and does good, but he uses your name, and we distrust him.’ The verb used means ‘We prevented him.’ Therefore, they repeatedly tried to prevent him, but they couldn’t because he continued anyway. 

What bothers the disciples is that John is speaking in the name of all. It is the fact that this person ‘does not follow us; he does not have our authorization.’ This is Satan. Previously, Satan had made Peter speak in the name of all; now, Satan manifests himself in communal protagonism, which leads to competition, then to fanaticism, then to exclusions. If John had said, ‘There is one who is speaking in your name but does not follow you; he is far from what you teach, leads a life opposite to yours’… But no. John says, ‘he does not follow us,’ that is, he identifies following Jesus with doing what we say, what we decide. 

The disciples reveal a deep-seated conviction that they are the only ones who can follow Jesus and the exclusive repositories of good; they feel themselves to be the obligatory point of reference for anyone who would utter the name of Jesus or speak in the name of Jesus. They are annoyed and vexed that someone does good without belonging to their group. What bothers them most is being forced to admit that someone outside their group might do something good they cannot. This is what happens here. 

A few verses earlier, the evangelist Mark described an episode in which the father of a child with epilepsy came to Jesus and said, ‘I brought my son to your disciples, but they were not able to cure him.’ Here are the Twelve who were unable to exercise the liberating power Jesus had given them; instead, here is one who does not belong to the group, who does what they cannot do. It is jealousy that makes those who do good appear as dangerous rivals. 

The danger of falling into the same spiritual condition as the disciples is ever-present, even in the Church today. We often forget a fundamental and beautiful truth: The Spirit, the divine life, has been given to every person and is not reserved for the baptized. Therefore, it is not surprising that this divine life, the Spirit present in everyone, inspires people to perform beautiful and even heroic works of love, truly worthy of the children of God. 

When a Christian is confronted with these beautiful works, what should he do? Should he be sad or rejoice? The demon of communal pride may suggest pretending not to see, ignoring, or diminishing the good that others do, especially those who do not belong to the Church… ‘Yes, they do good works, but not like us; ours are better. It is difficult to accept that others can even give us lessons in honesty, loyalty, non-violence, hospitality, and tolerance.’ When you see the good, you can only rejoice, because it is always the work of the same Spirit that the heavenly Father has given to each person. 

Jesus says: ‘Do not hinder him. He who does a great work —and great work can only come from the Spirit—cannot then speak evil of me.’ The ecclesial community was willed by Christ as the city on the mount so that all may see and behold the beautiful things those who let themselves be guided by the Gospel do, and thus they should always see love, joy, dialogue, welcome, reconciliation. But this community is not the only place where you can see wonders; these good works spring up everywhere when people allow themselves to be moved by the Spirit given to them. 

Jesus continues with a beautiful principle: “For whoever is not against us is for us.” Therefore, who is against us? He is against us who chooses to dominate rather than serve, when ambition to be above others should be a pedestal for our greatness. These are against Jesus; he who wants to be great departs from the Lord; he who serves, even if he does not belong to the ecclesial community, is one of us. Whoever loves is one of us, even if he is not baptized. 

After this episode, from which we have grasped the message for us, the gospel passage goes on to present a series of sayings of the Lord that we want to study together. Let’s listen to the first of these sayings: 

Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will surely not lose his reward. Amen, I say to you. Amen, I say to you. 

The gesture of giving a cup of water is not very meaningful to us today, since we take it from the tap, but let us situate the Lord’s saying in the land of a people who have experienced the wilderness, where those who do not know the location of the wells die of thirst. Let us place ourselves in the land where, even today, water is scarce. 

In the Bible, we find the commandment that water must not be withheld, even from one’s enemies. The book of Proverbs, in chapter 25, says: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; if thirsty, give him water to drink.” It is also beautiful what the prophet Isaiah says when he speaks of people fleeing from war: “You must go to meet these fugitives carrying water because they are thirsty.”

And the cup of water is never given alone; a word, a smile, or another gesture of love always accompanies it. That’s why, in the lands of the Ancient Middle East, offering a glass of water is a sign of welcome. To offer a glass of water to the stranger, the foreigner, or the enemy was equivalent to saying, ‘I wish you well,’ ‘I want you to live.’ It’s a small gesture of love, but what makes it blossom? It brings about dialogue, reconciliation, and the awareness that the other, whoever he or she is, is a brother or a sister. This is the reward promised by Jesus: a small gesture of love will spring a more human and fraternal world. 

Jesus does not attribute this gesture to one of his disciples but to a stranger, perhaps someone who, upon meeting someone who proclaims the Gospel for the first time, offers that person a cup of water. The reward he receives is not paradise, a prize in the hereafter; no, the reward is that he helps initiate a dialogue, a loving relationship between people who hold different conceptions of life. This is what Jesus says: no gesture of love remains without fruit. 

And now let us listen to the second saying: 

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin would be better off if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 

In Greek, ‘scandal’ means an obstacle you encounter on the way that causes you to stumble and interrupts your path. Jesus warns about this stumbling block that some believers set before the little ones, causing them to stumble. These little ones are not the children; here, ‘microi’ refers to people weak in faith, those taking their first steps following Jesus. It is precisely a believer who makes others stumble, interrupts their path, and causes people to turn away from Christ. Those who put this obstacle, says Jesus, assume an enormous responsibility. 

The context in which Mark has inserted this saying helps us understand why the scandal is so serious. What scandal do these fragile people encounter when they approach the Christian community? The context tells us it is ambition and competition to be first. This is the scandal that, even today, keeps the little ones away from the Church; it is always the same: the unedifying spectacle of competition, intrigues, the race for first places, honorary titles, and privileges. These are the pathetic comedies that drive away the little ones, who then come to disbelieve in Christ. 

Then there is another scandal, in addition to ambition, that is much more serious: the false catechesis about God that has driven so many people away from the faith because they have not been able to accept the face of God that shines in the face of Jesus of Nazareth, but was instead invented by people’s logic and traditions. 

There is a third scandal that we all understand very well, namely the un-evangelical life of us Christians. Jesus wanted his Church to be placed on the mountain so that all could behold the wonders, the effects, and the extraordinary results that adherence to the Gospel produces in people. And when someone sees the opposite in the Christian community, he is scandalized. 

It has happened to all of us that we are accused of some scandal in the Church, and we respond correctly by saying that we are human; it is the human aspect that is present in the Christian community, but we would have realized that the non-believer does not remain convinced because he expects a different life from a Christian. 

And Jesus now resorts to a harsh image to underscore the gravity of this sin. He speaks of death by drowning… “it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck,” the one you see behind me, pulled by a donkey (from Capernaum). Jesus underscores the gravity of this sin by invoking the most infamous death, because it made a proper burial of the corpse impossible. 

And now come three sayings in which Jesus speaks of the cuts to be made in life; we also say this to people getting involved in questionable situations—we tell them to cut. Let’s listen to three recommendations given by Jesus in this regard: 

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. You should enter life maimed rather than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. You should enter life crippled rather than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 

There are scandals and obstacles on the path to life, imposed by outside forces. We have seen the scandal some believers give to the little ones, but some obstacles and scandals come from within. We all experience an opposing force, a spirit of evil within us, that must be reckoned with. Not everything that comes to our minds, the impulses we feel, is good. Today, Jesus wants to warn us of the danger of scandal that comes from within, and he uses three images: the hand, the foot, the eye, and a language that is very hard and paradoxical, a Semitic language. Not to take it literally, of course, to gouge our eyes out or cut off our hands, but to take it seriously, because the danger of hands, feet, and eyes being an impediment to building a life according to the Gospel is very real. 

These three sayings we have heard end with a mournful refrain about ‘Gehenna.’ What is this Gehenna, and what is this fire? The first point to clarify is that it has nothing to do with hell or with the imagery associated with that term: flames, torments, devils… This hell does not exist in the Gospel. Christians began to speak of these things in the second half of the second century after Christ. It was they who even invented the word ‘hell.’ Jesus never used it. He spoke of ‘gehenna.’ Therefore, we want to understand clearly what this Gehenna is and what this fire is. 

Gehenna is the small valley that runs along the south side of Mount Zion. You can see the reconstruction of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, which also shows this small valley, ‘Gehenna.’ The Hebrew name is ‘geimnon,’ which means ‘valley of hymnon.’ This hymnon may have been the owner of this land. Today, Gehenna is an excellent place. When I was a student, I used to go there for a walk. Why has it become a cursed place? Because it meets the Kidron (which is indicated), and the ‘grinnon,’ where there is a mound called ‘tofet.’ On this mound, in ancient times, human sacrifices were made; children were immolated to Moloch, the pagan idol. 

In ancient times, it was common to sacrifice children to Moloch. The Carthaginians were famous for this cruel rite. This place had been desecrated by the pious King Josiah and then cursed by the prophets. On this site of the ‘tophet’ now stands the monastery of St. Onofrius, and, as it was a cursed place, tradition says that it was there that Judas went to hang himself. This Gehenna had become an unclean place, also because graves had been dug in the rocks along the valley; this valley is a succession of tombs. 

And then, to completely deconstruct this place, they began to dump the city’s garbage into this valley. By the time of Jesus, Gehenna had become the city of Jerusalem’s garbage dump. Day and night, they burned this garbage, and there was a fire that never went out, accompanied by a disgusting smell. In the southern part of the city, in the area of Siloam, which is indicated, were all the unclean activities; there worked the leather tanners and the cheesemakers; even today, at the southern gate of the city of Jerusalem, the gate of the Maghribites has many names, including the gate of the garbage, the dung, and everything dirty. 

The rabbis used the expression: ‘To end up in Gehenna’ to warn of the danger of ruining one’s life: ‘Be careful because if you behave like that, you will end up in Gehenna,’ i.e., throwing your life in a garbage can. It is a powerful expression that signifies ruining one’s life. And it is in this sense that Jesus speaks of Gehenna—no reference to God’s punishments. Such an interpretation is not only erroneous but blasphemous. No greater offense can be given to God than to present him as an executioner who condemns his children, He who is love and only love. 

The image of Gehenna is completed by the image of the worm. What is this worm, and what is this fire? The worm signifies the decomposition of a corpse; it is the putrefaction faced by those who indulge in debauchery and decadence, the self-destruction of those who make choices that diverge from the life proposed by Jesus of Nazareth. 

The fire that does not die is also an image used by the Baptist when he speaks of the wheat and the weeds being thrown into the fire. Ultimately, the wheat remains, and the weeds are burned in the fire. Paul uses the same image; he says that at the end of life, each person’s work is tested by fire that burns away all that is not gold: the leaves, the trash, everything ephemeral is burned. It is a warning to build a life on the values that endure, for all that is ephemeral is swept away. Our paper-mâché castles are burned, but what Paul says is beautiful: ‘Remember that you must go through the fire, but in the end, you will be saved by going through the fire.’ This is a warning about the seriousness of life so as not to build castles that later burn down. 

These images were well known in Jesus’ time; the rabbis used them to admonish and to shake the consciences of those who neglected their duties toward God and their neighbor. This insistence by Jesus on the seriousness of this life should be taken up by today’s preachers, and let us not misinterpret the words of Jesus by turning them into a proclamation of the eternal damnation of the reprobate. It is a false interpretation. 

Let us now see the three necessary cuts to avoid ending up in Gehenna. The first is the cut of the hand; the hand represents action, the works of man, and Jesus says: control what you do. The hand can do good: give life, raise the fallen, give bread to the hungry, and clothe the naked; but it can also steal, hoard the goods others need, and one may pile them up for his profit; he may commit violence or even kill. Jesus says: Watch your actions; if your heart urges you to do evil things, cut off that hand with one blow. Jesus says: by following me, you decided that your hand will never be closed to withhold anything for your good, but will always be open to give; therefore, cut off the hand that closes selfishly; make the necessary sacrifices, for your life depends on it, and you may become a person like me, says Jesus. 

Second image: the foot that scandalizes you. The foot signifies direction, choices, and life orientation. Jesus says, “Watch where you are going.” In Judaism, the image of the two ways was familiar: the way of truth and the way of lies and corruption. The righteous walk in the way of light, and the wicked choose the way of darkness. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 30, God says: “I set before you life and good, death and evil; choose the way of God.” 

It is beautiful how the Didache begins. It is the Church’s first catechism, written even before the Gospel according to Matthew. It begins by saying, ‘There are two ways, one of life and the other of death, and the difference is great between these two ways.’ Jesus also speaks of the choice between the broad way and the narrow way. The broad ways are trendy; they are chosen by many; they seduce because they are comfortable. Jesus says: “Do not invest your life in the ways of sin, do not put your foot in them, because if you start going in these ways, you will be seduced and never be able to return.” That is why they need to immediately cut off the wrong paths because they always end in Gehenna, the garbage dump. It is your life that ends there. 

Then the eye. The eye indicates the lusts present in the heart of every person; lust for the accumulation of goods, pleasure, greed, and dreams of glory. The eyes represent what we see, and the choices we make always begin with the eyes, with lust, with what seduces us. Looking around, we see what pleases the eyes, but the voice of the Spirit guides the disciple, from his being a child of God, not by the seduction of what he sees, what pleases us. Remember the forbidden fruit: the woman saw that it was good, beautiful, and pleasant. 

Jesus says to the disciple: when your plans are not in tune with love, do not wait until it is too late; beware of the seduction of the eyes. In the Gospel according to Matthew, this saying of Jesus is directly related to the control of sexuality. It says in Chapter 5: “You have heard that it was said: you should not commit adultery; now I say to you that whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery.”And then he goes on to say: “If your right eye is a cause of scandal, pluck it out and cast it from you,” cut it out immediately, for if you begin to let your eyes seduce you, your life will end in the dustbin. 

These choices may seem naive to the pagans. To them, the Christian may appear to deprive himself of all opportunities to enjoy life, cutting back on everything that may be pleasing to the eye. But you know better because Jesus of Nazareth said: ‘Be careful not to end up in Gehenna.’ The Christian may look like a disabled person because he has made these cuts. He’s not a disabled person; he is someone who has chosen to unite his life with Christ. He knows that, in the end, a successful life is invested in the gospel values. A demanding life, of course, but the only truly human one. 

As a final reminder to the disciples, Jesus uses the image of salt. Let us listen: 

Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves, and you will have peace with one another. 

In biblical culture, salt is a symbol of wisdom, giving flavor and meaning to life. Paul also uses it, writing to the Colossians, “Your conversations should always be pleasant, seasoned with salt.” The conversations of believers in Christ have a particular flavor. The Christian does not use offensive, aggressive words or speak vulgarities, because a particular flavor from the fire characterizes his conversation, says Jesus. 

What is this fire? “Everyone will be salted with fire.” The only fire Jesus knows is the fire of the Spirit. Jesus says in the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Luke: “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and I wish it were already ablaze.” It is the fire of Pentecost, the fire of the Spirit; it is this Spirit that gives room to the Christian and gives flavor to a Christian’s life. The fire of the Spirit is nothing else than the wisdom of love; and the Christian is characterized by an anti-ambition that rejects wanting to dominate others or be served. 

The taste given by the fire of the Spirit is the taste of service and love. And Jesus warns you to be careful not to lose this flavor that characterizes you. The chemists say that salt cannot change its flavor, but there is a trick to make it lose its flavor, for example, by adding a little bit of sugar, which makes the taste no longer the same. This is the danger that even Christians can run when they introduce a little pagan wisdom into the evangelical logic; thus, they lose their flavor. 

The last phrase of Jesus: “Keep salt in yourselves.” Pure salt, which comes from the Spirit, characterizes them. “You will have peace with one another.” This is where peace and reconciliation can come from; only from the salt that comes from the Spirit, from love. All other attempts to build peace that do not start with this salt that Jesus brought into the world, which comes from his Spirit, will fail. The Christian is called to witness the power of the love brought by Christ. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.