First Reading - Genesis 11:1-9
Gospel - Mark 8:34-9:1
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The first reading narrates the story of the building of the tower of Babel.The story is built round the striking remains of stepped towers or ziggurats still to be seen all over Mesopotamia. This story is well-known and gives a taste of the origin of diversity of languages. Certainly, we may wonder how do we have multiple languages? The author tries to gives an explanation of this query through a story that the languages are the product of diversity.
Well, the main punch of the story also aims at telling us something else; the desire of humans for the name and fame and also one-time investment for the way to heaven. When we closely observe the plot of the story, we discover that people wanted to build a tower reaching upto heaven to make their names. In another word, they expected that by making a tower reaching upto heaven, their names would be always remembered and respected. The other aspect that we can notice is that the tower of Babel was going to be a one-time investment for the humans. By making it, they could easily go to heaven. This also demonstrates the arrogance of humans to have a direct access to heaven according to their will. As a whole, the story of the tower Babel is a story that tells that there is an inner most desire in every person to be known and recognized by others. It's certainly for the self-glory. The story also tells us that every human person expects to have an easy access to heaven according to their wish and not according to the wish of God.
In the gospel passage, Jesus proposes the cost of discipleship. The topic of discipleship soon after the passion prediction reminds every follower of Jesus that to follow him means to follow him in his suffering. It means, if the Messiah must suffer, so must his followers. However, the invitation of Jesus to discipleship contains two challenges; firstly, the challenge to 'deny oneself' which isn't mere asceticism, nor mere self-rejection or mere self-hatred, nor is it even the disowning of particular sins rather it is to renounce the self as the dominant element in life and to replace the self with God-in-Christ as the object of affection or to place divine will before the self-will; secondly, the challenge to 'take up one's cross' which demands willingness to give up everything that is dear in life, even life itself and suffer for Jesus and others. Such demands of discipleship are geared to follow Jesus radically and in doing so, never ever compromising with things of this life but keeping our eyes fixed on God and His values.
Dear friends, as Christians we all follow Christ. As according to the statistics of the Pontifical Yearbook, the number of Catholics is increasing every year (as till the year 2020, is 1.36 billion altogether in the world). We are a great number! However, we are reminded today that our faith is not about adding to the total but living it daily. Jesus has proposed before us some conditions to follow Him; the condition of self-denial and the condition of our willingness to carry our daily cross. The conditions proposed to us make us Christ-centered in everything; in our behaviour, action, work, peity and spirituality. There is no room for anything else but Christ. This is why the conditions proposed by Jesus are called the "costs of discipleship."
The first reading reminds us that our desire for self-name or self-glory or self-will stands in contrast to the way of discipleship. A discipleship is a path that leads to live a life that revolves around the person and teachings of Jesus.
Let's pray that we may become the disciples of Jesus by words and deeds.
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