Deacon Tom Anthony

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 146

Reading 1 Is 53:10-11

The LORD was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness
of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Reading 2 Heb 4:14-16

Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

Alleluia Mk 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus 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."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 Everything is different when Jesus Christ comes into our lives. He encourages us to look at things in a different way. The perspective that He wants us to see is exactly the opposite of what society encourages us to see. His ways are different but in a wonderful way that will ultimately bring us a joy and happiness never experienced before. It is through affliction and suffering that we come to know Him intimately. As the Apostle Paul says,

“We proclaim the Christ crucified.”

When we suffer we are united to Jesus Christ and become sharers in His Passion. He knows our struggles as we start to understand more deeply the struggles He endured for us. Society tries to teach us to avoid suffering and to pursue material happiness while Christ teaches us that, as Christians, suffering becomes a way of life. The goals of this world do not coincide with the goals of salvation. There must be a focus on what Jesus wants for us and through that understanding we can develop our daily goals and aspirations. There is joy in suffering if it is done with Jesus Christ.

We are never alone. Jesus is always with us. Because of this, our thoughts and actions have a direct impact on all those we come in contact with. Our experiences are shared experiences. Being a Christian means living in a community starting with our family and friends and expanding throughout the world. Each success, spiritual and physical, is celebrated together while every calamity is also experienced together. No one is alone and no one rises or falls based solely on their individual choices or path. There is a unity that rises above these barriers erected by the human condition. In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus emphasizes this point by answering the question of James and John in a specific way. Their focus was on power and authority; a recognition and prestige based on temporal longings instead of that which was truly important which was based in spirituality. Furthermore, Jesus challenged them by asking if they were willing to go where He was going. In other words, would James and John be willing to suffer and die as He was going to do? It was an invitation of sorts to enter into a deep, intimate relationship with Him based on suffering.

It is through suffering that our faith becomes stronger. It is through experiencing the love of Jesus Christ that our joys are intensified. Following Jesus Christ and contemplating what He wants instead of only what we want lifts us up and enables us to reach a higher awareness of this beautiful creation around us. We are a part of it and not separate from in. Pursuing goals without the consideration of what the one who created it wants for us will lead us to a miserable, unfulfilled existence. Wherever Jesus is, there is joy, love, and hope. This is true even in the darkest places or situations. If we choose to be with Jesus and to be in communion with Him, we will feel these things arguably all of the time if only we let ourselves experience them and not struggle against them. The only obstacle we will encounter is the one which we put up ourselves.

Jesus is our guide. There is no truer hand to bring us to fulfillment physically, mentally, and spiritually. Getting to know Him and listening to Him are the first steps in the right direction understanding what we truly want and what He truly wants for us which will eventually become the same thing. Through all the steps that follow, there will be only more joy and understanding regardless of the suffering that comes with it. For the more there is suffering, the more there is the comforting love of Jesus.

Deacon Tom