From time to time, the lectionary – the three-yearly cycle of Bible readings laid down by the Church for Sunday Mass – poses a particular challenge for preachers. A few weeks ago, the Gospel reading confronted us with some of Jesus’ most difficult teachings. First came that radical passage from Mark 9, including the line, “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off.”
The next Sunday we moved on to Mark 10, which reiterates the divine prohibition against divorce, (it forms the basis for the Church’s strict teaching on the matter). You could forgive a priest for focusing his homily on the Old Testament reading, or the Epistle, rather than potentially making his congregation uncomfortable, angry or upset by expanding on Christ’s “hard sayings”.
