Sunday Reflections

First Reading:           Numbers 11:25-29
Second Reading:      James 5:1-6
Gospel:                    Mark 9.38-43, 45, 47-48 – Temptations to Sin

Removing the Obstacles

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the bold teaching that we should rid ourselves of anything that causes us to sin, for the price of losing our eternal salvation is far too great. This teaching can seem harsh at times, yet it is actually one of great truth and love. The radical implication in Jesus message’ is that the salvation of our souls is the most important thing in life.

As followers of Christ, we should ask ourselves, is there anything that is causing us to sin? Sin begins to weaken our relationship with God which hinders our ability to truly love others and act
as authentic stewards. If we want our stewardship to flourish, we should take concrete actions to avoid the near occasions of sin and seek forgiveness in the sacrament of Confession for whenever we do fall.

Additionally, not only should we seek to remove the causes of sin in our lives, but we should try to remove all those things that hinder us from being better stewards of our time and talents. For
example, if our pride and ego get in the way of us being willing to humbly serve others, we should pray for the strength to grow in humility. Likewise, if our addiction to television or movies stops
us from giving our time to others, we should try to intentionally limit our viewing time. There are many ways we can grow as faithful stewards of Christ so let us start by taking small steps towards being more generous.

Summary

Jesus instructs us in the Gospel to remove anything that causes us to sin for the most important thing in life is the salvation of our souls. Likewise, we should strive to remove anything that
hinders us from being better stewards of our time and talents. There are many ways we can grow as faithful stewards of Christ so let us start by taking small steps towards being more generous.

https://www.archtoronto.org/stewardship