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[James 5:1-6 and Mark 9:41-50  These scriptures may vary at Dominican locations due to this unique Dominican feast which celebrates the removal of St. Dominic's remains from the courtyard of the priory in Bologna,Italy, to the elaborate tomb inside the church.  He died in 1221 and this event occurred in 1233.   Pictures of the tomb are easily found online.  "Translation" in this case has nothing to do with language but with taking something from one place to another.]

     "Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward." [Mark]

     Jesus' instructions to the disciples continue in today's segment.  The first lines caught my attention because we may be surprised at times how our faithfulness to our commitment may inspire someone outside the faith, or less committed, to respond to us with kindness.  In any case, our response should be to let them know they will be blessed by God for their kindness.

     The remainder of the segment contains some examples of Middle Easter hyperbole or exaggeration to emphasize the importance of being faithful to God's commands.  These images may seem outlandish to us, but they were part of regular teaching in Jesus' day.  Perhaps we could think of some ourselves that would be part of regular conversation:  "You should have seen the one that got away!"   Here, Jesus tells us that we should do anything we can to avoid being unfaithful to God.  Self-mutilation is not required as a matter of course!  AMEN