From Wisdom to Action: Living Righteously in Modern Times

Julie South [00:00:05]:
Peace be with you. Welcome to your catholic corner. I am so pleased that you're able to join me today, right here, right now, as we dive into the word of God and explore how it speaks to us, to you, to me, in our ordinary, everyday lives. Your catholic corner is here today to help you prepare for Sunday Mass. Please stay to the end of today's show as I have an announcement to make. The format for today's show is to help you better understand why the Catholic Church has chosen these Bible passages that we're going to read and pray together, that it has for this weekend's mass. We'll look at the typography, how the Old Testament passage fits in with the New Testament passage, and some of the metaphors used in these readings. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I find that when I understand a little bit more about the link between the passages and then how those passages can be applied to modern day living, it helps me understand just a little bit, hopefully, maybe what God's trying to say to me.

Julie South [00:01:19]:
If you're not familiar with the term typology, we're going to look into what that means and how it relates specifically to today's show. Today we are focusing on the readings for the 25th Sunday in ordinary time in year b. The readings for this Sunday are from the Book of Wisdom, the letter of James and the Gospel of Mark. We're going to be exploring the themes of humility, service in christian life. In the Book of Wisdom, we encounter a passage that challenges us to consider the righteous life and the trials that come with it. The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus teaching his disciples about true greatness, which is found in serving others. And these readings remind us to live our faith through humility and service and align our actions with our beliefs. The readings for this Sunday are from the Book of Wisdom, chapter two, verses 1217 through 20 from the letter of James, chapter 316 through to chapter four, verse three, and Mark's Gospel, chapter nine, verses 30 through 37.

Julie South [00:02:39]:
But before that, a quick word about your catholic corner, just in case this is your first time here. Regardless of where you are on your spirit journey, whether you've only just heard of that man called Jesus, you're new to Catholicism, or you're a cradle Catholic, my prayer is that your catholic corner will help bring God's word to life in your heart through insights, reflections, and practical applications that help deepen your relationship with God. Every Thursday we'll start preparing for mass by uncovering the richness hidden in each Sunday's Bible. Readings from Old Testament prophecies to gospel parables I invite you to join me and the parishioners of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton, New Zealand, sponsors of your catholic corner so that together we can hear God's word and echo. Samuel, speak, Lord, your servant is listening.

Julie South [00:03:37]:
Now let's get back to today's show. In the Book of wisdom, we see the righteous person being tested and challenged, yet remaining firm in faith. How does that connect with the Gospel of Mark? That's what typology is. It's Old Testament foretelling new so what we have in the Gospel of Mark is Jesus teaching his disciples about true greatness, which is found not in power or status, but in serving others. So an example, if you like, of servant leadership. These passages highlight the importance of humility and service and following God's will. Now, if we take that just a little bit further, the metaphors that are going on in these passages, which you will hear, teach us about the importance of sincerity and action in our spiritual lives. What we have going on here is God reminding us to focus on genuine values and to live out our beliefs by showing our compassion to others.

Julie South [00:05:16]:
Let's start praying together now as we reflect on these readings. May you be inspired by God's call, strengthened by his blessings, and encouraged to share his love with others. A reading from the book of wisdom let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions. He reproaches us for sins against the law and accuses us of sins against our training. Let us see if his words are true. Let us test what will happen at the end of his life. For if the righteous man is God's child, he will help him and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture so that we may find out how gentle he is and make trial of his forbearance.

Julie South [00:06:21]:
Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for according to what he says, he will be protected. The word of the Lord a reading from the letter of James where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace. For those who make peace. Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it. So you commit murder and you covet something and cannot obtain it. So you engage in disputes and conflicts you do not have because you do not ask.

Julie South [00:07:38]:
You ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. The word of the Lord. The gospel according to Mark. They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, the son of man is to be betrayed into human hands and they will kill him. And three days after being killed he will rise again. But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Then they came to Capernaum where he was in the house.

Julie South [00:08:36]:
He asked them, what were you arguing about on the way? But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve and said to them, whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Then he took a little child and put it among them and taking it into his arms, he said to them, whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes not me, but the one who sent me. The gospel of the Lord. So what did you hear God saying to you today through these passages? Remember that he speaks to each of us in different ways, depending on what's going on in our lives at the time. Let's have a look at wisdom. Perhaps it could be to stand up for what's right, to be courageous and brave and to advocate for justice even when it's hard.

Julie South [00:10:03]:
And to practise integrity, to live honestly and to make decisions that align with your values. With James letter we could have cultivating peace and humility, being gentle, collaborative, collegial, perhaps avoiding envy and selfishness, to reflect on what we desire. What do we want? What are we asking for? To regularly, daily, perhaps evaluate our motivations, our dreams, our wants, our desires, to ensure that they actually align with our deepest values and to pray with purpose. Because if you remember in the letter from James, he said, it's because we're nothing, asking rightly the right way. So perhaps we can focus on meaningful and selfless goals in our prayers and our intentions. And then with Mark's gospel, servant leadership, perhaps we could practise more humility and service to help others to put their needs before our own, to adopt, to have to use, to be a servant leader, to be, perhaps to value simplicity and innocence, to approach our life with curiosity, a beginner's mind, perhaps, that the curiosity of a child, openness and allowing our hearts to be open, maybe, just maybe, to learn from children and to welcome and include others, to be inclusive, to show kindness to everyone, regardless of their background or even what they look like. Now for that announcement that I talked about at the beginning of the show. Each week's show takes me hours and hours to write, to produce, to research, to edit, to publish, and as well as my time, there's also the work that Kajal, who works for me, puts in behind the scenes, getting the show out into the world.

Julie South [00:12:33]:
Therefore, it's with a huge and a heavy heart, hugely heavy heart, that this will be the last show. Unfortunately, I just don't have the resources to do what's required to grow the show and to help it be found online. So, from me to you, from the bottom of my heart to you, thank you so much for listening. I really do pray that your life is blessed. I've been with your catholic corner since, I don't know, 2000, 920, ten. So this has to be the hardest show I have ever, ever recorded. Thank you. God bless.

Julie South [00:13:22]:
This is Julie Southe signing off from your catholic corner for the very last time. Peace be with.