Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 146
Reading I
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
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 II
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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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,
As Christians, we may be possessors of a greater truth that puts us at a higher advantage than others in this world when it comes to a better way of living and enjoying life, but that does not necessarily mean that we are better than anyone else. In fact, we are encouraged to lower ourselves to be raised up by God at the appropriate time. We should not worry about our stature among those in society who pursue earthly things. We should not find ourselves in competition with our brothers and sisters who are on the same faith journey that we find ourselves on. As Paul wrote in his Letter to the Corinthians,
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God".
That means that God should be first in our lives and we should be last. We then become an instrument of His peace, and it is through us that the Kingdom of God is realized. Jesus explained this when He said to His disciples,
“The Kingdom of God is within you.”
To be first, one needs to be last. To be recognized, one must remain hidden and do his work in the dark. The left hand must no know what the right hand is doing.
Jesus Christ gave us the perfect model regarding how we should conduct ourselves in this life. It is a model of suffering instead of avoiding suffering, which society encourages us to do. Society wants us to strive to be comfortable instead of comforting, to gather instead of spreading, and to consume before we are consumed. This is the exact opposite of what a Christian is supposed to do. We are called to a higher purpose, and because of that, we have a greater responsibility. It is through self-sacrifice that we become closer to God and can experience His presence. Today in the Book of Isaiah it says,
“The LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.”
This brings us to the vision of the Crucified Christ, where God willingly gave up His only Son to suffer and die for us so that we may obtain eternal life. So too must we give ourselves up in service to Jesus Christ, willingly suffering at the expense of others so their suffering can be relieved, and Jesus Christ can be realized through us. This expectation is further emphasized in the Semon on the Mount,
“"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
As we can see, for every weakness, longing, and suffering, there is a heavenly reward. There is a spiritual awakening of sorts. Furthermore, for every act of charity there is joy and revelation.
There should not be any regret when there is suffering, as well no self-gratification when something is done that is good. There should be a sort of neutrality, knowing that what we do is in the name of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we are merely His instruments and are able to achieve what we achieve only through Him. So, we are able to endure because of Him and triumph only because of Him. The Letter to the Hebrews explains that we are invited to approach Jesus for both for mercy and for grace. It is through mercy that we are healed of our brokenness and through His grace that we receive all we need to both endure and experience a wonderful life with Him. When each are utilized when given, then regret and ambition vanish. All that remains is thankfulness.
In the Gospel Reading today, James and John forgot these tenets. Even though their loyalty and commitment to Jesus’ ministry could not be questioned, their focus on reward was something that needed to be corrected. We cannot do things or act a particular way with an expectation of receiving something or to avoid punishment. We must do things as a reaction to our relationship with and our love of God. A removal of one’s pride and the humbling of ourselves make us slaves to Jesus and a slave to all. This is key to being Christlike in everything that we do. Using Christ as our model keeps us going in the right direction and gives us the opportunity to make the adjustments necessary when we stray off the path that Jesus has laid out for us.
Serving is always better than being served. It gives us purpose and an opportunity to live a life with Jesus. With that, every moment becomes a moment with God within His creation.
Deacon Tom
