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Gospel Reading for February 27, 2025 – Mark 9: 41-50
MOST HORRIBLE THING
Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
“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. 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.
“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”
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In short, Jesus is saying that the MOST HORRIBLE THING that may ever happen to us is to go to Hell, into the unquenchable fire after our life on earth is ended. Nothing can be worst than hell even if one loses everything one has in life. As Jesus said in Mark 8: 36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
What is most important is when we see and live our life’s purpose; to look at what we have and how we can love our neighbor and how we can contribute to humanity with what we have. This way, we become the salt of the earth (Matthew 5: 13). No one knows when our time’s up so we also do not know up to when we will have time. Let us use the time we have, while we still have it, in building God’s Kingdom on earth, towards the heavenly kingdom.
Lord Jesus, help us use our time on earth well and not waste it!
