CHRISTIANITY—THROUGH SERVICE, NOT HONOUR
Introduction
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.
Opening 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!
1 READING: Sirach 36:1.4-5a,10-17
Come to our aid, O God of the universe, As you have used us to show them your holiness, so now use them to show us your glory. Thus they will know, as we know, that there is no God but you. Hasten the ending, appoint the time, and let people proclaim your mighty deeds. Let raging fire consume the fugitive, and your people’s oppressors meet destruction. Crush the heads of the hostile rulers who say, “There is no one besides me.” Gather all the tribes of Jacob, that they may inherit the land as in days of old. Show mercy to the people called by your name: Israel, whom you named your firstborn.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
R: Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Do not remember against us the iniquities of our forefathers;
let your compassion move quickly ahead of us,
for we have been brought very low. R:
Help us, God our saviour,
on account of the glory of your name.
Deliver us, pardon our sins
for your name’s sake. R:
Let the groaning of the imprisoned come in before you;
in accord with the greatness of your arm
preserve those doomed to die. R:
Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation
we will recount your praise. R:
Alleluia: Mark 10:45
R/ Alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
to give his life as a ransom of many.
R/ Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel: Mark 10:32-45
They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” Ambition of James and John. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish [me] to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, 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.”
Commentary
“Use them to show your glory to us.”
No one prays for misfortune. Sirach wants the nations to see the glory and power of the one and only God. This is the God who knows the past and the future and preserves all of creation in its glory. It is the splendour of God that we all want to retain.
But Jesus says repeatedly that it will not be that way. In the Gospel today, there is a note of anxiety as he and his apostles make their way to Jerusalem. Jesus again shares with the Twelve the events that will soon transpire. He will be betrayed, condemned, mocked, spat upon, flogged, and killed, only to rise again.
Much to our surprise, especially at this moment, the brothers James and John approach Jesus and ask for places of singular prominence at the time of glory. The request is, at best, very inappropriate. Jesus once again states that he has not come to bestow honours. Such will be decided at another time by another authority.
The other ten then show their indignation with the two sons of Zebedee. Jesus takes it as a teaching moment. In the pagan world, people seek honors and privilege and want to exercise authority over others. But this attitude has no part in the plan of the Son of Man. The only criterion is service. This is to be a kingdom of hands outstretched, not of royal enthronement.
This is a hard lesson to learn, and we have not always learned it well. But one thing is unquestionably true. The church’s Hall of Fame through the centuries is peopled with noble souls who have given their lives for others and have asked nothing in return. They learned well the lesson of today’s Gospel.
Intentions
– For those in authority in the Church, that they may not become functionaries but be “ministers,” that is, servants, we pray:
– For our Christian families, that by their mutual care and service, parents may prepare their children to render service to others, we pray:
– For the many who serve us in various ways and provide us with the things and help we need – servants, drivers, nurses, technicians and so many others, too many to name – that we may be grateful and kind to them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
as your Son serves us himself at table
in the signs of bread and wine,
he asks us to drink with him
the cup of self-sacrificing love.
Let your Son fill us with that love
which alone can understand
that to be great is to serve others
and to use up our lives
to give people a chance to live and be free.
May we seek no other reward
than to share the destiny of Jesus,
our Lord and Saviour for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Loving Father,
your Son has been with us
in this Eucharistic celebration
as the servant of us all.
Let him dispose our hearts
and give us his courage
to understand and accept others,
to accompany them on the road of life,
to suffer their pains,
to rejoice with their joys
and to carry each other’s burdens,
that he may be with us,
now and for ever. Amen!
Blessing
We, too, are here to serve rather than to be served. It is not an easy task. Spare others by not sparing yourself. May Almighty God bless you for this, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!