“Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age . . . with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come” (Mark 10:29–30). The above words of Christ from Mark’s Gospel tie our readings together by reminding us that both trial and hope coexist in this life.
As we read about the Fall of man, we are reminded of the grave sin of Adam and Eve. Their sin ushers in a long age of shame, darkness, and confusion, marked by enmity between mankind and the devil. The dejection resulting from this punishment is expressed by the psalmist, who says, “If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?” (Ps 130:3). The state of sin in which man finds himself bears bitter fruit in the attitude of the scribes toward Jesus, who blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing the works of Christ to Satan.
Despite this depravity, our readings are also full of hope. At the end of the account of the Fall, God promises a Savior: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel” (Gen 3:15). This has been seen from the beginning of the Church as a veiled reference to the privileged “offspring” of “the woman,” Jesus, the son of the New Eve, Mary. He will fight Satan and crush his head. Even in the depths of original sin, we will receive a Savior.
The psalmist, too, does not stop with darkness. “But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered” (Ps. 130:4). St. Paul, while describing his body as “wasting away,” describes his inner self as “being renewed day by day,” awaiting “a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven” (2 Cor 4:16; 5:1). And Jesus, despite hatred and rejection, rejoices in the kinship of those who do the will of the Father: “Here are my mother and my brothers” (Mark 3:34).
This complex picture reflects the dramatic journey of the saints toward heaven. In this life, we are corrupted by sin, weakened by the battle between light and darkness, weighed down by our iniquities, tempted to reject the love of God. Even when we sacrifice house, brothers, sisters, and all the rest for Jesus and the Gospel, we are to expect the hundredfold “with persecutions.” But at the end of it all is the promise of forgiveness for the contrite of heart, the promise of the victory of Christ over the offspring of the serpent, the promise of an eternal dwelling with Our Lord in heaven.
“En verdad les digo que no hay nadie que haya dejado casa, hermanos, hermanas, madre, padre, hijos o terrenos por mí y por el evangelio, que no reciba cien veces más ahora en este mundo…con persecuciones y vida eterna en la edad por venir” (Marcos 10,29-30). Las palabras anteriores de Cristo en el Evangelio de Marcos unen nuestras lecturas al recordarnos que tanto la batalla como la esperanza coexisten en esta vida.
Al leer sobre la caída del hombre, recordamos el grave pecado de Adán y Eva. Su pecado marca el comienzo de una larga época de vergüenza, oscuridad y confusión, marcada por la enemistad entre la humanidad y el diablo. El abatimiento resultante de este castigo lo expresa el salmista, quien dice: “Si conservaras el recuerdo de las culpas, ¿quién habría, Señor, que se salvara?” (Salmo 130,3). El estado de pecado en el que se encuentra el hombre da frutos amargos en la actitud de los escribas hacia Jesús, que blasfeman contra el Espíritu Santo al atribuir las obras de Cristo a Satanás.
A pesar de esta depravación, nuestras lecturas también están llenas de esperanza. Al final del relato de la Caída, Dios promete un Salvador: “Pondré enemistad entre ti y la mujer, y entre tu descendencia y la suya; y su descendencia te aplastará en la cabeza, mientras que tú tratarás de morder su talón” (Génesis 3,15). Esto ha sido visto desde los inicios de la Iglesia como una referencia velada a la “descendencia” privilegiada de “la mujer”, Jesús, el hijo de la Nueva Eva, María. Luchará contra Satanás y le aplastará la cabeza. Incluso en las profundidades del pecado original, recibiremos un Salvador.
El salmista tampoco se detiene en la oscuridad. “Pero de ti procede el perdón,
por eso con amor te veneramos. ” (Sal. 130,4). San Pablo, mientras describe que su cuerpo se va “desgastando”, describe su yo interior que “se renueve de día en día”, esperando “una riqueza eterna, una gloria que los sobrepasa con exceso.” (2 Cor 4,16; 5,1). ). Y Jesús, a pesar del odio y el rechazo, se alegra del parentesco de quienes hacen la voluntad del Padre: “Estos son mi madre y mis hermanos” (Marcos 3,34).
Este complejo cuadro refleja el dramático camino de los santos hacia el cielo. En esta vida estamos corrompidos por el pecado, debilitados por la batalla entre la luz y las tinieblas, agobiados por nuestras iniquidades, tentados a rechazar el amor de Dios. Incluso cuando sacrificamos casa, hermanos, hermanas y todo lo demás por Jesús y el Evangelio, debemos esperar el ciento por uno “con persecuciones”. Pero al final de todo está la promesa del perdón para los contritos de corazón, la promesa de la victoria de Cristo sobre la descendencia de la serpiente, la promesa de una morada eterna con Nuestro Señor en el cielo.
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in Nashville, Tennessee. He has a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University, and is the editor of the anthology Ever Ancient, Ever New: Why Younger Generations Are Embracing Traditional Catholicism.
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