FRIDAY, SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Gn 11: 1-9; Ps 33: 10-15; Mk 8: 34 — 9: 1
ARE YOU BUILDING THE TOWER OF BABEL?
In the book of Genesis (chapter 9), we are told that God after the floods makes a covenant with Noah and his sons and asks them to be fruitful and multiply; the same he asked of Adam and Eve. But in today’s passage (chapter 11), we see that the people are building a city to avoid being dispersed over the whole earth and a tower whose top would reach the heavens – both, in order to make a name for themselves. So, the city and tower are the outward expressions of their inward two sins – the love of praise (craving for vainglory) and the love of security (save money, build huge houses, etc.) We shall never find true and lasting joy in being praised. It will be found in knowing and praising God. We shall never find our security in material prosperity but obeying God faithfully. The floods at the time of Noah were a thunderclap of warning against sin. But we will notice that our lives are no better after the flood than they were before. The human condition is just like it was with Adam and Eve. We decide what is best. We can even rise up and claim the place of God. This is the story of mankind to this very day.
In the Gospel Jesus reminds us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. The cross is the great symbol of Christianity since it first carried the body of Jesus on Calvary. We have two choices before us: the world and the Cross of Christ. The world has an insidious appeal, a shortcut to happiness and easy at the start, but it becomes heavy and more disappointing as time passes. The cross of Christ appears difficult and challenging at the start, but it gets easier, if carried patiently, over the years. Eventually, it will bring us happiness without end. Let us therefore deepen our faith in Jesus, by meditating on His words; allowing His words to sink into the soil of our souls till they change and transform our attitudes, and build strong convictions that lead us to action.
Response: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen as his heritage.
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