Friday – Sixth Week – OT1

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Friday – Sixth Week – OT1

What Happened at the Tower of Babel? - Important Lessons for Kids ...

Readings: Gen 11:1-9; Mk 8:34-9:1.

1/ Reading I: NAB Genesis 11:1 The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. 2 While men were migrating in the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.” They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we shall be scattered all over the earth.” 5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men had built. 6 Then the LORD said: “If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do. 7 Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says.” 8 Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.

2/ Gospel: NAB Mark 8:34 He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. 36 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 37 What could one give in exchange for his life? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” 9:1 He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power.”


                                                
I. THEME: People must receive results of their lifestyle.

            There are two main lifestyles in life: according to God’s will and to one’s own will; or like St. Paul said: according to the spirit and to the flesh. People have freedom to choose either one but no freedom to choose its results.

            Today readings center on these two lifestyles and their results. In the first reading, people chose to follow their wills. They chose to build a city and a tower to be famous and to protect their safety. The results of their decision are they were confused in language by God and scattered everywhere on the earth. In the Gospel, Jesus presented the lifestyle for those who want to follow him: they must deny themselves and carry their cross daily and follow him. Though it is a strict and sacrificial lifestyle, it brings good results for them both in this life and the next life.

II. ANALYSIS

1/ Reading I: Language is the reason for separation among nations.

            The author of Genesis reported, “The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.” This shows their unity, understanding and accord. But when they started to build a city and a tower, God made them to speak different languages. The result happened is what they worried now becomes reality: they must be scattered around. The author wants to show his audience that when people choose to live against God’s will, they must endure results of this lifestyle.

1.1/ Their purpose of building a city and a tower: They said to one another, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we shall be scattered all over the earth.”

            (1) To make a name for themselves is the first purpose of building a city and a tower: To desire fame, either by an individual or a group, is the reason for separation. When a person or a group wishes to be famous, he or they shall find all possible ways to achieve their wish, even using illegal or unjust ways to eliminate those who are in their way. In chasing their fame, they think only about their goal and forget about their duties to respect justice and to help the weak. When these weak are treated unjustly, they must react to protect their right. We can see this kind of lifestyle is causing serious damages for families, societies, and threatening peace between nations. The World War I and II are the examples of this lifestyle when some countries wanted to “make a name for themselves.”

            (2) Not to be scattered all over the earth is the second reason of building their city and tower: According to some, in order to live in security, they must use all possible ways even illegal ways to accumulate material things such as: houses, cars, stocks, accounts, insurances, etc. They must also socialize widely so that they can go through any secret door to get what they want. On the national level, they must strengthen their army with weapons that no power can resist. We can see this lifestyle is creating a wider gap between the rich and the poor; and is the seed of national and world wars as Pope Francis forewarned in his encyclical, The Joy of the Gospels.

1.2/ The results of their building of a city and a tower: When God looked down and saw their building, he said, “If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do. Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says.” Thus, the Lord scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city.

            Language is the instrument for people to understand and to have compassion for each other; once there is a difference in language, people can’t communicate with each other. Similarly on the moral and ethical level, once people are different in moral standards, how can they live together? Moreover, even those who chose the selfish and greedy lifestyle can’t live together; because all of them want to have more than other and they shall fight to have a better part.

            The name of their city is called Babel, meant “to confuse” in Hebrew, because “there the Lord confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.” What they worried in verse 4 now becomes reality. In the New Testament, the Pentecost event (Acts 2:5-12) completely opposed with the building of the Babel city. The Holy Spirit is the reason why all people of different languages could understand the apostles’ preaching.

2/ Gospel: “For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

2.1/ The lifestyle according to God: Jesus said to his people and disciples: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

            (1) To deny oneself is to forfeit his will, interest and individual lifestyle to accept Jesus’ lifestyle. This is the most difficult thing to give up because it requires people to give up almost everything which they like.

            (2) To take up one’s cross: To follow God is to choose His lifestyle, and Christ’s lifestyle is the way of the cross. He requires people to give up their selfish and safe lifestyle, to accept the sacrificial lifestyle to benefit themselves and others, and to completely believe in God.

2.2/ The result of this lifestyle: There is a contradictory in life which Jesus highlighted when he said: “For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” We can clearly see this in reality: Those who try to protect their life according to human way, will lose their life. In opposition, those who are ready to sacrifice their life for others, will live and fully live. For example, when parents are ready to accept suffering for their children, their family will be happy and united. In opposition, when parents are selfish and worry about themselves, their family will be broken up and all members of their family shall suffer.

            Those who refuse to live according to God’s way, must endure bad results which happen not only in this life but also the life to come, as Jesus declared: “For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

           

III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:

            – To bring many good results for individuals and community, we must eliminate the selfish lifestyle to live according to Christ’s sacrificial lifestyle.

            – The way of the cross is the way to save lives. Jesus chose that way to save people. We must also walk that way to save our life and the life of many others.

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