NOTES for Mar 9:42-10:1
Today in the Gospel of Mark we read words of Christ that seem to be addressed especially to our own time. There are many things in life that, in one way or another, draw us toward sin. As a rule, when faced with these temptations, we allow ourselves many things that are impermissible. God told Cain long ago: “sin is crouching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Gen 4:7). And in today’s passage the Lord says the same thing. He calls us to reject and free ourselves from what draws us into committing sin. We must not excuse ourselves by saying that we cannot resist our “natural needs,” but must free ourselves from them.
In the fourth century, morals in the Roman Empire were no better than they are in our world today. Most people believed it impossible to resist the craving for bodily pleasures, the thirst for wealth, and the pursuit of success and power in life. And the Lord called an Egyptian named Anthony to renounce all of this, so that we might see that the temptations of an age can be overcome. Thus monasticism was born, bearing witness to all of us through celibacy, poverty, and obedience that the words of Christ we read today can indeed be fulfilled.