Daily Catholic Mass Readings for May 22, 2018
First Reading: James 4.1-10
1What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.4You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.5Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.9Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Psalm 55
1Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!2Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,3because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.4My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.5Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.6And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;7yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah8I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest."9Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.10Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;11ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.12For it is not an enemy who taunts me--then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me--then I could hide from him.13But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.14We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng.15Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.16But I call to God, and the LORD will save me.17Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.18He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.19God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah because they do not change and do not fear God.20My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant.21His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.22Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.23But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
Gospel: Mark 9.30-37
30They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise."32But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.33And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"34But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,37"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we are invited to reflect on the themes of humility, service, and the transformative power of grace. The first reading from the Letter of James confronts us with the reality of conflict and division, which arise from our own selfish desires and worldly ambitions. James calls us to recognize that our struggles often come from within, from a heart divided between God and the allure of the world. He urges us to humble ourselves, to resist the devil, and to draw near to God, promising that God will then draw near to us. This passage reminds us that true peace and harmony can only be found by surrendering our pride and embracing a life of humility and grace.
In the Gospel, Mark presents us with a contrasting vision of greatness. Jesus predicts His own suffering and death, but the disciples are more focused on arguing about which of them is the greatest. Jesus responds by upending their understanding of power and status. He takes a child as an example, teaching that true greatness is found in serving others with humility. To welcome a child in His name, Jesus says, is to welcome Him and the One who sent Him. This passage challenges us to reevaluate our priorities and to embrace a life of selfless service, recognizing that the last shall be first in the Kingdom of God.
These readings are deeply connected, as they both call us to reject the worldly pursuit of power and status and instead to embrace a life of humility and service. James warns us against the dangers of envy and arrogance, urging us to seek grace through humility. Mark’s Gospel shows us that true greatness is not about dominance but about love and service. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Where are we allowing selfish desires to divide us? How can we humble ourselves and seek God’s grace? How can we serve others with the same selfless love that Jesus has shown us? May we strive to live as children of God, welcoming Him into our lives and into the lives of those around us.