A sermon on Mark 9:43-48

By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
St. Mary Catholic Church
St. Benignus Catholic Church 
St. Mary Queen of Heaven
and Holy Trinity Catholic Church

If I had to cut off body parts that causes me to sin, there would be nothing left of me. However, keep the knife in the drawer because Jesus is speaking symbolically. 

Each body part represents stumbling blocks that keep you from God. The hand refers to doing the sin that Gods doesn't want you to do. The foot refers to walking into the temptation that will cause you to sin. The eye looks at the temptation that causes the foot to lead you there so the hand can do the evil deed. Jesus taught us to pray in the Our Father: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." 

The devil is always laying traps to keep you from God. God said we should pray for sinners "and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:26.) The devil puts stumbling blocks in our journey to God. 

What is the biggest snare the devil lays?

The biggest one I see in our country today may surprise you. It is one of the seven deadly sins called "sloth." It may surprise you because we think of sloth as "laziness," which is doing nothing. Yet, Americans are very busy people. We fill our lives with a lot of work and obligations. 

I talk with young parents who are "burned out." Both mom and dad have to work to make ends meet. After work, they need to feed the kids, clean the house, wash the clothes, drive them to after-school activities and help with the homework. One mother told me, "At the end of the day I have only 20 minutes to talk with my husband before we fall asleep exhausted. Then, it all starts again when we awake."

All this "busyness" can be a stumbling block in the spiritual life. It can lead to the devil's trap called in the Greek "acedia" which means "lack of care." There is no time for God in all this busyness. No time to care for prayer or worshiping God. How many cannot go to church because sports are now played on Sunday?

The physical life needs, air, sleep, food, water, clothing and shelter. Take these away and you die. The spiritual life is a life lived in and with God. You keep it alive by connecting with God through daily prayer, going to church to hear God's Word speak to you and feed you with His Presence in Holy Communion.

I laugh when I think about all the batteries I need to charge every day. My Apple 7 watch, my iPhone 15 Pro, my left hearing aid and my right hearing aid. I can't function right if these go dead. I recharge my spiritual life by connecting with Jesus throughout the day. 

I start my day by asking Jesus, "Who do you want me to love today, and how should I do it?" Then in the evening, I make an examination to thank God for helping me do His will and ask forgiveness where I fell short. Before going to bed, I tell God how blessed I am to have His love in my life. Then the cats jump in bed with me, and we call it a day. 

The best way to deal with the problems and trials in the physical life is to ground yourself spiritually in Jesus. When my spiritual life is fully charged, Jesus gives me peace in everything. I find comfort in Isaiah 41:10, where God says, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

I know that God's hand will strengthen my hand to do good. Jesus will help me see with my eyes what good He wants me to do. He will guide my feet on the right path.