Today is Oct. 20, the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus teaches: “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” (Mk 10:43-45).
Typos are horrible things. Those of us who work in media, especially print, live in fear of them. A few years back, a Catholic newspaper celebrated priestly ordinations with a cover featuring a dramatic photo of the ordination Mass. The title read, “Not to serve, but be served.” It was an unfortunate mistake.
We’re all tempted to reverse this teaching, however — to demand that we be served. That’s what James and John are doing when they ask Jesus to sit at his right and his left in heaven. The reversal doesn’t happen all at once, but little by little we start trying to take our lives back from Jesus. The thing is that disciples must give Jesus everything. And leave it all in the Lord’s hands.
What cures the disciples’ ambition? The Lord. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen shares in his “Life of Christ,” “If men were only in error, He might have been a Teacher fenced in by all the comforts of life; and after having taught the theory of pain, He would die on a soft bed. But then He would have left no other message than a code to obey.” Jesus is no mere teacher; he is a redeemer. He gives his very life to save us from our sins.
The beautiful thing is that Our Lord’s message lands. According to the Acts of the Apostles, James goes on to be the first of the Twelve to be martyred, to lay down his life in imitation of the savior. John, according to tradition, becomes the first white martyr, giving his whole life in service to the kingdom.
A prayer to serve the Lord willingly:
Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. Through our lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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