Literal Sense

    

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

29 September 2024

 

First Reading: Nm 11:25-29

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14

Second Reading: Jas 5:1-6

Gospel: Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

 

Reflection

By: Bernard C. Borja

 

Do you know what a kleptomaniac is? A kleptomaniac takes things, literally.

A mother was cooking a family dinner when someone noticed that she was taking too long. The father checked on her and to his surprise, she was sitting inside the refrigerator. He asked what happened and the mother said, “The cooking instructions said, ‘Chill in the fridge for an hour.’”

During an argument, the girl says to her boyfriend, “I am leaving you. This is not working out.” The boyfriend replied, “I thought we were just arguing. We were not even stretching yet!”

A grandmother bought a movie for her granddaughter to watch at home. While her granddaughter was watching, she cooked dinner and did some chores. After watching, the granddaughter was running to her crying and shaking. The grandmother asked what happened and the granddaughter said, “I did not see any lamb at all!” The title of the movie says, “The Silence of the Lambs.”

We all have the tendency to take things literally, and I do not mean being a kleptomaniac. This means we sometimes lose our common sense. According to Wikipedia, Common Sense is "knowledge, judgement, and taste which is more or less universal, and which is held more or less without reflection or argument. It is often considered to represent the basic level of sound practical judgement or knowledge of basic facts that any adult human being ought to possess.” The keywords here would be, “Sound Practical Judgement.” In our everyday lives, how often do we lose our common sense? Are we even aware that we are capable of sound practical judgement? Listening to the Gospel today, we’ll try to focus on practicing our common sense as a Christian and follower of Christ.

When I was young, I remember a big portrait of Jesus attached on the wall of our house. This picture has an inscription, “The eyes of love” and really, His eyes seem to follow me everywhere. So whenever I want to do a mischievous thing, I would literally hide and make sure that I am out of sight of Jesus’ portrait. The Gospel today reminded me on what Jesus meant when he said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” It does not really mean cutting off my hand. If my right hand was cut off because I committed sin with it, I still have my left hand to continue committing the same or another sin. And I still have my feet and whole body to do forbidden things. So, it should not be in our literal sense that we try to understand what Jesus said. We can also remember when Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Taking these things literally would mean contradicting His commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.”

In our common sense, or in terms of sound practical judgement, we can understand that Jesus is telling us to put God first. As we are always reminded to have Christ at the center of everything. Not to take out everything that comes after, but to let go of whatever replaces God in our life. If our wealth would make us buy more than what we need and store things for our own benefit, then we may consider our wealth something that replaces God in our life. Jesus may tell us, “It is better for you to take no possession of wealth than to be thrown into the unquenchable fires.” Cutting off these things in this sense would also mean true freedom, in which we become more open to share the same love that Jesus gave to us.

Prayer

Dearest Lord, with grateful hearts, we give You thanks for making us stewards of Your great love. May we share this love with one another according to Your will and for Your greater glory. We ask for forgiveness when we lose our common sense in giving literal encouragement to the poor instead of giving food. May You guide us to seek Jesus first in everything that we do, for us to have the true freedom that You meant for us to have. In Jesus’ Name we pray, AMEN.