BE THE LAST AND SERVE OTHERS!
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.
1 Reading: 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 55:7-8, 9-10A, 10B-11A, 23
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.
“I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels. R.
In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls. R.
Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed. R.
Alleluia Galatians 6:14
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.
Commentary
The original recipients of James’s letter were certainly a community beset with severe problems. Today the author speaks of conflicts and disputes. Misunderstandings are a part of life. And that is what they should remain: an understanding that has been “missed.” But how often they are allowed to fester and extend into long periods of discord and dislike?
James draws an interesting parallel between those who love the world and those who love God. Those who love the world are characterized by a spirit of discord and antipathy. Those who love God operate on a different plane. God resists the proud and bestows his favours on the lowliest. In staying close to God, our hearts are purified and our hands cleansed.
Interestingly enough, James makes explicit what today’s Gospel calls for. Discord and conflict often rise out of a spirit of “one-upmanship,” putting people “in their place.” But truly Christian speech never seeks to control or lord it over anyone. The one who is first, says Christ, is the servant of all and remains the least. Genuine Christians never try to place themselves over others. Even when they have to correct others, they do it with respect and concern.
This central teaching of the New Testament is unfortunately easily forgotten. Ambition takes people down ruthless trails both in society and, regrettably, within the church. Friendships are cultivated to pave the way for the future, to help “climb the ladder of success.” But for the Christian, the only proper direction to move on the ladder is down to service and compassion, not “up” to self-glorification and worldly success. This is a descent that leads to eternal life.
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. Amen!