Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Be the last and serve!
Introduction
James points to the causes of conflict and laxity within the Christian community: not outward influences, not so much different opinions, but the evil in the heart of each, like love of pleasure and of the world, envy and pride.
In the gospel 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.
Opening 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.
Reading 1: James 4,1-10
Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.
So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (23a) Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
Far away I would flee;
I would lodge in the wilderness.”
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
“I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”
Intercessions
– For those who are the greatest in the Church, that they may serve with great dedication and without looking down the weakest, the poorest, those wounded in life, we pray:
– For the mighty of this earth, that they may care especially about the rights, the dignity and the well-being of the lowliest masses under their charge, we pray:
– For those working in lowly jobs shunned by others, for those who have unhealthy or dangerous tasks, that we may appreciate them and that the Lord may help them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we bring before you ordinary food and drink,
the signs of everyday life;
and yet, in these your Son will become present here.
Is it that you wanted to teach us
that we have not to look for you
in extraordinary places and things
but in the simplicity of the familiar?
On account of your Son, accept us as we are,
just ordinary people willing to serve you.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
you have been patient with us
as Jesus was with his disciples.
When we were proud of our own achievements,
you placed before us your perfect servant, Jesus Christ,
and let us look at him and share his table.
Make us like him, straightforward, spontaneous,
and eager to serve you in our brothers and sisters.
We know that we are in your hands
and that you will support us
on account of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
That terrible hunger for power and prestige! It is doing much damage, also in the Church, in our Christian communities. May God give you rather the spirit of service and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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21 May 2024
Mark 9: 30-37
The one who most resembles Christ
“The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men.” What a profound image of love—God the lover surrenders himself into the hands of his beloved, even if it means enduring rejection, torture, and death. The depth of his love is such that he has no other way to express it than to offer himself to his beloved. This is the incredible act of love that God has performed: He willingly placed himself in the hands of humanity, fully aware of the pain they would inflict upon him.
The disciples, like us, grapple with understanding this love of the Lord. How do we 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 totally opposed to those of Jesus. Centuries later, 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.
“Whoever would be first among you must be the last and the servant of all.” This criterion is for evaluating the self, not judging someone else. Jesus did not say, “If your neighbour wants to be first, let him be the servant!” We have to be careful to avoid judgmental looks. In God’s eyes, the greatest is the one who most resembles Christ, who is the servant of all (Lk22:27).
Do I harbour resentments, jealousies, and conflicts in my heart? What impact do they have on my personal life, my family, my community?