29th. Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Gospel
Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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I remember asking a young man if he ever thought of becoming a priest. His reply was very simple, “What is there in it for me?” As I thought of that young man’s reply, it suddenly struck me that what I had to offer was something which the world does not value very much. All I had to offer was a life of servant-hood, a life of total availability to others for the sake of a better world but in the cultural climate in which we live that young man would not be convinced that servant-hood or total availability to others would bring anything but grief. In the priesthood there are not too many avenues for promotion and leadership in the priesthood, to be well lived, calls for a great degree of servant-hood.
The Gospel reading for this weekend gives us Jesus’ teaching as he deals with the problem of ambition among his apostles. They all want to be the leaders in this new movement which the master has inaugurated. James and John give voice to their ambitions. They ask the master, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” The others are indignant, probably because these two brothers have had the gumption to put into words what they themselves wanted. They had all forgotten the lesson that
Jesus had been teaching them. Not long before Jesus had said to them. He who wishes to be first must make himself the last of all and the servant of all but ambition had got the better of them. Jesus reminds them that to be part of the new movement also means the acceptance of suffering; “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?; and the giving of one’s life as a ransom for many”. The brothers reply that they can and Jesus predicts their martyrdom but still insists with them that leadership is not his to give, it is given by the Father. Jesus is teaching his apostles they must not think that privilege follows on sacrifice. It is not a question of being repaid for what one has done. In this new movement, the kingdom movement, one does whatever one does out of love without thinking that there will be a repayment; that one attains position in the measure that one has given oneself for the movement. There is no entitlement in this new movement. Positions are given to “those for whom it has been prepared” by the Father. And to be faithful to the choice of the Father one has to be servant of all, for unlike among the gentiles, leadership is given so that one can be totally available to others. It is a question of the imitation of Jesus, the Lord and Master “Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In an age in which leaders so often call themselves Christians it is important that we remember that Christians pride themselves on the imitation of Christ and that their only ambition must be to outdo themselves in the imitation of Christ who did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is how the saints lived. They strove to outdo themselves in love and we must be imitators of the saints as they were imitators of Christ Jesus.
As we live in a culture which attempts to seduce us with the attraction of power and prestige let us pray for the grace to imitate Christ Jesus, who when tempted by Satan in the desert held fast to God’s word to repulse the attempts of seduction by the evil one. May we hold fast to God’s word which tells us; “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, the message of discipleship is a hard saying but like the disciples we will not go away. In spite of our frailty we will follow even if it is only limping along. Give us the courage through the Eucharist which we celebrate and receive to be true imitators of your son Jesus who did not come to be served but to serve and who gave his life as a ransom for many. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our Mother and your Son Jesus. Amen
Fr. Joe Harris, is a former Rector of Regional Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs, and currently Parish Priest of St. Ann’s, Cascade, Trinidad
