EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

May 26, Wednesday

 

GREATNESS THROUGH SERVICE

In the first reading, in a prayer God is asked to show his greatness and holiness to all peoples by showing them his marvelous deeds.

The Gospel tells us that the great God will save people through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came as a servant of all. Those who follow Jesus must, like him, learn to serve, and learn to serve even at the cost of pain.

 

First Reading: Sir 36:1; 4-5a, 10-17

“Have mercy on us, God of all; look kindly upon us and show us the light of your compassion. Extend your fear upon the Gentile nations; they’ve never given you a thought. They don’t know there’s no God but you, but they too should recognize your wonders. Raise your hand over their lands; they should see whom they’re dealing with. They’ll see the holy things you’ve done for us, just as we’ll see the holy things you’ve  done for them. They’ll come to know what we know now: There’s    no God but you, Lord. Create new signage; do new wonders. Show off your fist; swing your sword arm; taunt them; toss thunder and lightning at them; confront our enemies; bring the battle to them. Hasten the final victory, for time is running out. Remember the end game, for your storied wonders need to be made known. Throw your flame at their fugitives; bring destruction   to those who devastate us. Make mincemeat out of the enemy princes, the ones who say, “There’s no one else but us!” Gather together all the tribes of Jacob. They’ll be yours now, as though they’ve never stopped being yours. Have mercy upon your people, who invoke your name; upon the house of Israel, whom you’ve named your firstborn. Have mercy on the city you have made holy, Jerusalem, a residential place of peace and quiet. Fill Zion with your majesty and the Temple with your glory. Reintroduce the prophets, who were your creations; breathe new life into the prophecies they spoke in your name. Reward those who’ve kept their faith intact; may they find your word still relevant. Hear the prayers of your servants; be gracious to us as you promised in the blessing of Aaron. Lead us down Justice Road so that every last inhabitant on earth will know that you, and you alone, are the God of the Ages.”

 

Gospel: Mark 10:32-45

Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next. “Listen to me carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.”

The Highest Places of Honour

James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”

“What is it? I’ll see what I can do.”

“Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honour in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”

Jesus said, “You have no idea what you’re asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”

“Sure,” they said. “Why not?”

Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honour, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that.”

When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”

 

Prayer

God Lord of all,
your Son Jesus, was your equal
and yet he made himself our brother and servant.
May his Spirit be alive in us
and dispose us to become like him,
powerless and vulnerable,
so that we can serve one another,
especially the weakest of our brothers and sisters.
In this way, may people experience
how bold you make your love.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Ordinary people

Fr. Paulo Morlachi was an Italian Missionary who served in Hong Kong as a hospital chaplain for many decades. A motor accident in his youth almost crippled him and he walked with difficulty ever since. But that did not stop him from visiting many hospitals every day without fail, visiting patients and administering them the sacraments. He was old, limping, and was not fluent in the local language, but even years after his death, many people in Hong Kong remember him with affection for the comfort and peace he brought into their lives when they needed it most.

But today we live in a world where we want to stand out above others and prefer to be in places of honour and recognition. In the Gospel today, we have James and John requesting the Lord to consider them to the top position when the Lord establishes his Kingdom. Jesus gives them a beautiful catechesis: “whoever wants to be great, let him be your servant and whoever wants to be first, be the slave of all.”

Fortunately, there are among us great people as Jesus asks us to be. They never appear in the media, nobody gives them recognition. They may not have academic qualifications nor do they possess much wealth, but they do have something that is worth more than material goods: kindness, tenderness and compassion for those in need. Men and women who walk through our streets, simple and ordinary people but who are found at the right moment when you need a word of encouragement, a friendly look, a happy smile, a favour …

Good parents who take time, even if they come tired from the day’s work, to listen to the thousand and one questions of their little children, who enjoy their games and discover the best of life with them. Tireless mothers who fill their homes with love and joy; women who are priceless, because they know how to give their children what they need most at every moment; Spouses who are maturing their love day by day, learning to give in, generously taking care of the happiness of the other, forgiving each other in the thousand little frictions of life.

These are the ones who make life more pleasant and the world more liveable. Jesus said of them that they are “great” because they live at the service of others and help them to live with hope and joy.
In the desert of this world, where only rivalry and confrontation seem to grow, they are small oases where friendship, trust and mutual help sprout. They may never receive a tribute or even a word of thanks, but these men and women – “an uncountable crowd” as Revelation says – are great because they are human.

 

Video available on Youtube: Ordinary people