Frost Rocks

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, September 29th, 2024:
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Mark
9.38-43, 45, 47-48
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After Jesus had finished teaching the disciples, John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.

“For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.

“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

As I read Jesus’ words about cutting off a hand or a foot, or plucking out an eye, I pause. In speaking with such conviction and force, Jesus is making it clear that what He wants His disciples, including us, to understand is of utmost importance. Whatever causes us to sin must be removed from our lives.

A few years ago I heard a woman tell a story that provides a good analogy for Jesus’ teaching. The woman had grown up on a farm where, as the land shifted from freeze to thaw, the family would notice “frost rocks” emerging. Each spring, the family had to remove these frost rocks in order for the soil to become rich and fertile, capable of producing its crop. 

Each of us have “frost rocks” to contend with. They could have many different names: envy, bitterness and un-forgiveness, to name a few.

In this Gospel passage, Jesus identifies two potential frost rocks. The first is judging other believers – the “we versus them” mentality. For a number of years I have been attending a LIFT Retreat. LIFT stands for Ladies in Fellowship Together. Praising, praying and growing side by side with women who attend Catholic churches and women who attend Protestant churches is a beautiful thing. What unifies us is our love for the Lord and His love for each of us.

The second frost rock Jesus warns His disciples to look out for is speaking words or acting in ways that may cause another believer to stumble. May love be what motivates our thoughts, words and actions. 

I am thankful to the Holy Spirit for bringing to the surface these frost rocks that have had to be removed from my life. 

What are the frost rocks in your life right now? Take a moment to allow the Holy Spirit to highlight them. 

As the Holy Spirit reveals these frost rocks, remember that we are called not to step over or walk around them, but rather to remove them. The beautiful thing is we are not to do this alone. Instead we accomplish it with His loving aid, and this allows the Garden of our Life to produce fruit in abundance.

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Lisa Wing

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