OT XXVI [B]: Nm 11:25-29; Jas 5:1-6; Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Throughout the Readings, today's liturgy emphasizes one simple truth of our Catholic faith: sin matters. In today's First Reading, St James graphically explains that if someone spends their earthly life exploiting and using other people, lying and cheating and hoarding wealth, they may enjoy the fruits of their crimes for a little while, but they can't escape justice for ever. He writes that they will "weep and wail over their miseries."

Jesus is just as clear. He explains that un-repented sin has consequences; it leads to damnation, to hell, which was commonly called "Gehenna." The word originally was referred to a valley on the outskirts of Jerusalem that had been used for human sacrifice during royal apostasies in Old Testament times. By the time of Christ, the valley had come to be used as a kind of outdoor public incinerator. Worthless and rotten trash and refuse, including the dead bodies of animals and criminals, were dumped into the valley and gradually consumed by a smoldering fire that was always kept burning. Thus, Gehenna became a symbol of the state of eternal separation of a soul from God, and the unending spiritual destruction and frustration that goes with such a separation. According to Jesus, that's what un-repented sin leads us to.

These comments of St James and Jesus are not meant to scare us into feeling guilty - it's not some psychological manipulation technique. Rather, they are simply informing us about the facts: sin, willfully turning away from God and his moral law, has consequences, and they are not good, and we should strive to avoid them. Sin matters; that's why Jesus tells us to gouge out our eye or cut off our hand if it's causing us to sin.

But, did he mean that literally? No. Eyes and hands don't cause sin; they can't.

Sin is always a decision of the heart to prefer one's own will against God's will. It is a rebellion against God, in little things or in big things, that is caused not by our body or our senses, but by something deeper. When we give in to temptation and sin, it always indicates that we are so attached to some good and valued thing that we prefer it to something much better: namely, friendship and communion with God.

In the moment of sin, we allow the temporary benefit that seems to come from the sin to seduce us, to lead us away from the everlasting benefit of friendship with Jesus Christ.

So, for example, a certain relationship provides us with comfort or pleasure, even though it leads us to violate God's commandments. Or we treasure our reputation or popularity so much that we compromise our Christian values in order to protect or advance it.

To give up these attachments in order to protect and develop our friendship with Christ hurts - as if we were cutting off a hand or gouging out an eye. But our Lord teaches us that, that pain is nothing compared with the sorrow of cutting ourselves off forever from God's love.

If something is leading us into temptation and sin then we must avoid that. If one is tempted to drink, avoid occasions where he is exposed to it. If one is tempted to be lazy avoid that situation and try to involve in creative actions. If one is tempted to be dishonest avoid that company and seek company of good people.

Apart from avoiding occasions of sin we can also strengthen ourselves against evil in many ways. We can pray to overcome evil. The greatest prayer is the Mass. During one of his Wednesday audiences in 1983 Pope John Paul said, "Every Eucharistic Celebration is stronger than all the evil in the Universe. It means real, concrete accomplishment of redemption and even deeper reconciliation of sinful man with God in prospect of a better world."

Our Lady has repeatedly told us in her apparitions that the Rosary is great weapon against Satan. Holy Water is a powerful sacramental that helps protect us from evil.

The Gospel gives a fourfold repetition of a warning: any amount of physical suffering is better than sin or causing others to sin. It is with these highly visual warnings that Mark rounds off his teaching on discipleship.

Today, as Jesus renews his commitment to us in this Mass, let's ask him to show us what we need to cut off in order to follow him more closely - after all, the closer we are to Jesus Christ, the better, for us and for everyone around us.