Christ the Cornerstone

Christ’s challenge to us about sin, love and eternal life

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is Good News, the source of our freedom and joy as Christian disciples. But it’s also true that the Gospel sometimes contains what might be called “hard news,” truths that force us to face things about ourselves and our world that make us uncomfortable.

The Gospel reading for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48) is filled with hard news. Jesus says in response to a question from the Apostle John, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mk 9:42). This is certainly hard news for those of us who fail in our responsibility to witness to Jesus’ way of life and, therefore, scandalize others, especially those who are young or vulnerable.

Our Lord continues with more hard news, especially for those of us who allow our thoughts, emotions or physical temptations to lead us into sinful behavior.

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mk 9:43, 45, 47-48).

These sayings of Jesus are not to be taken literally, of course, but they must be taken seriously. The literary form being used is hyperbole—exaggeration for effect—a form evident in many of Jesus’ teachings throughout the four Gospels. Jesus is not literally telling people to mutilate themselves in order to avoid sinning and going to hell. His purpose is to emphasize how high the stakes are when it comes to sin.

We live in a time when sin has been downplayed. Our society tells us “if it feels good, do it—as long as [we think] no one else is being hurt.” In this climate, venial sins become nothing but bad habits, and mortal sins are reserved for only the most unspeakable, socially unacceptable crimes.

Jesus shocks us out of our moral indifference and challenges us to reflect on the effect our sins have on our own lives and the lives of others. By telling us that “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mk 9:42), Jesus captures our attention. And by saying, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off” (Mk 9:43), he challenges us to recognize the damage that our own selfishness does—greater even than losing one of our limbs.

In the second reading for this Sunday’s Mass from the Letter of James, St. James also exaggerates for effect:

“Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on Earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance” (Jas 5:1-6).

These prophetic words are designed to wake us up and to remind us forcefully that our treasure is not in material things but in the spiritual values that Jesus taught us in his Beatitudes, his parables and, yes, even in his “hard news.” Material things, earthly pleasures, worldly fame and success are all fleeting and corruptible. What survives is the love that was demonstrated most powerfully in the death of Jesus which led to the joy of Christ’s resurrection.

In the end, the hard news that confronts us in the New Testament turns out to be good news after all. Rather than spend our lives chasing after the empty promises of Satan, we have an alternative, the way of life that Jesus offers us. May we listen to him and follow his example. †