BE THE LAST AND SERVE!
Introduction
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.
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. Amen!
1 Reading SIRACH 2:1-11
My son, when you come to serve the LORD, 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.
Responsorial PSALM 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
R. (see 5) Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests. R.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty. R.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones. R.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him. 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 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?
Intentions
– 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. Amen!
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. Amen!
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!