Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
BE THE LAST AND SERVE!
Today, Ben Sirach speaks of sufferings that come to people and test them as gold in the fire.
(Jesus announces his passion and resurrection for the second time, but the disciples did not understand him. Do we understand? We have begun this Eucharist by placing it under the sign of the cross. Do we understand the cross, especially when it weighs on our own shoulders?) The future leaders of the Church, the disciples, are not free from dangerous defects like ambition; they seek the power of the first place in the kingdom, they do not understand that Jesus – and they, too – will have to suffer, and that service and simplicity are required to promote the kingdom.
Reading 1 Sir 2:1-11
stand in justice and fear,
prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast,
incline your ear and receive the word of understanding,
undisturbed in time of adversity.
Wait on God, with patience, cling to him, forsake him not;
thus will you be wise in all your ways.
Accept whatever befalls you,
when sorrowful, be steadfast,
and in crushing misfortune be patient;
For in fire gold and silver are tested,
and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust God and God will help you;
trust in him, and he will direct your way;
keep his fear and grow old therein.
You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy,
turn not away lest you fall.
You who fear the LORD, trust him,
and your reward will not be lost.
You who fear the LORD, hope for good things,
for lasting joy and mercy.
You who fear the LORD, love him,
and your hearts will be enlightened.
Study the generations long past and understand;
has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed?
Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken?
has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed?
Compassionate and merciful is the LORD;
he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble
and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth.
Gospel Mk 9:30-37
Leaving there, they went through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know their whereabouts, for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive.” They didn’t know what he was talking about, but were afraid to ask him about it.
They came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the road?”
The silence was deafening—they had been arguing with one another over who among them was greatest.
He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.”
He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said, “Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me—God who sent me.”
Prayer
Lord our God,
you know what is in our hearts.
Purify our thoughts, change our mentality
and give us the attitude of Jesus, your Son.
Help us to identify with Jesus,
to accept suffering as a part of life
and of our efforts to establish your kingdom.
In whatever position we are,
keep us humble, trusting and simple
and may we have no other ambition
than to serve your Son in our sisters and brothers.
For he was the servant of all
and so you made him our Lord for ever.
Reflection:
21 February 2023
Mark 9: 30-37
The greatest is the one that resembles Christ most.
“The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men.” What a beautiful image of love – God the lover throws himself into the hands of his beloved, even if it would involve rejection, torture and killing. The lover has no other way to express all his love than to throw himself into the arms of a loved one. This is what God has done: he turned himself into the hands of people, knowing fully well that they would do to him what they wanted.
The disciples are not able to understand this love of the Lord. How to comprehend the defeat and even the death of the Messiah? They are unable to accept the scandal of the passion of the Messiah. Still, they continue to follow him to Jerusalem, but of course, with dreams as opposed to those of Jesus. Centuries later, although with a greater understanding of the Mission and the words of Jesus, unfortunately, we continue to maintain similar aspirations of the disciples of Jesus and fight with one another for recognition, acceptance and power, positions and prestige.
Our Christian vocation calls us to be at the service of others. But we are tempted today by a “service” which is, in reality, “self-serving”. Jesus asks us to care for one another out of love. It is a personal invitation: “Whoever would be first among you must be the last and the servant of all”. This criterion is for personal evaluation and not to judge someone else. Jesus did not say: “If your neighbour wants to be first, let him be the servant!” We must be careful to avoid judgmental looks.
During his apostolic visit to Cuba in September 2015, Pope Francis said: “This caring for others out of love means putting the question of our brothers and sisters at the centre. Service always looks at their faces, touches their flesh, senses their closeness and even, in some cases, “suffers” that closeness and tries to help them. Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas; we serve people.”
Jesus had asked his disciples, “What were you discussing on the way?” (v. 33). The church is not a stepping-stone to get to positions of prestige, emerge, or gain control over others. It is where everyone complies with their gifts from God, celebrating their greatness in humble service to others. In God’s eyes, the greatest is the one whom most resembles Christ, who is the servant of all (Lk22:27).
Do I have resentments, jealousies, and conflicts kept in my heart? What consequences do they bring to my personal life, family, and community?
The greatest is the one that resembles Christ most. – Youtube