Daily Readings - Fri Feb 17 2023
Genesis
1Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.2And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.3And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.4Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.6And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.7Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech."8So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
Mark
34And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.35For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.36For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?37For what can a man give in return for his life?38For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on human ambition and the call to follow Christ. The first reading from Genesis recounts the story of the Tower of Babel, where humanity, united in language and purpose, sought to build a tower that would reach the heavens. This story is often seen as a cautionary tale about pride and the dangers of unchecked ambition. The people of Babel were driven by a desire to make a name for themselves and to avoid being scattered across the earth. However, their efforts were thwarted when God confounded their language, scattering them and halting their project. This story reminds us that while human ingenuity and collaboration can achieve great things, they must always be tempered by humility and a recognition of our limitations.
In the Gospel, Mark presents us with a very different kind of challenge. Jesus calls his followers to embrace a life of self-denial and to take up their cross in order to follow him. This is not a call to self-destruction or masochism, but rather an invitation to reorient our lives around the values of the kingdom of God. Jesus warns that those who seek to save their lives on their own terms will ultimately lose them, while those who are willing to lose their lives for his sake and for the sake of the Gospel will find true life. This teaching is both provocative and profound, challenging us to think about what it means to live as disciples of Christ in a world that often values power, status, and comfort above all else.
These readings invite us to reflect on the nature of true fulfillment and the cost of discipleship. While the people of Babel sought to find meaning and security in their own achievements, Jesus calls us to find our true selves in surrendering to God's will. This does not mean that we should abandon our ambitions or contributions to the world, but rather that we should ground them in a deeper sense of purpose and humility. As we go about our daily lives, we are called to examine our priorities and to ask whether we are building our lives on the shifting sands of human pride or on the rock of faith in God. Let us strive to follow Christ with courage and integrity, trusting that in losing ourselves for his sake, we will find the abundant life he promises.