Service Above All

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 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."

---

Reflection

Jesus continues to overturn ideas about the Kingdom. “It shall not be so among you.” He contrasts the way Gentiles exercise authority with the ideals of the Kingdom. How is authority exercised in the Kingdom of God? We look to Jesus who incarnates these ideals: "for the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The Kingdom is hierarchical not by way of merit or power, but rather in the level of service offered to other people. Here we have a service of authority, where authority is exercised with the primary aim of serving others. This giving of one's self in service is the hallmark of the Kingdom and exemplified by Jesus on the cross. It is not only an example but also an invitation, even a plea, that in the Christian community each member is at the service of all.

While people admire power and honor, Christians are to exemplify service and self-giving. This is how the Kingdom contrasts the world we live today.

Wealth and the Kingdom

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10:17-30.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? 
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother." 
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!" 
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. 
All things are possible for God." 
Peter began to say to him,
"We have given up everything and followed you." 
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."

---

Reflection

It was difficult for the Jews to comprehend that wealth can be an obstacle to the Kingdom. In their religious tradition, prosperity is a sign of divine favor. If a wealthy man is highly favored by God then why is it difficult for him to enter the Kingdom? Jesus, a sign of contradiction, overturns all this religious pre-conceptions and points out that not even wealth is an assurance of heaven.

The Kingdom of God afterall is God’s gift. No man can claim a right to it. No man can buy it for himself. No one buys himself into heaven. The only way to enter the Kingdom of God is to become God’s child in the image of the Son. To be in the image of the Son means to follow Jesus’ self-emptying, to follow Jesus’ lifestyle, to follow Jesus’ mission. This self-emptying, this dying to one’s self is impossible for us unless we allow God to teach us.

The Kingdom is gained only when we have divested ourselves of our wealth and the most precious thing we possess - the self. It is something difficult, something that goes against human instinct. Yet, we do not despair, because in our difficulty, Jesus looks at us with love in His eyes, and encourages us, to gain the wealth that is really beyond all wealth.  

Beautiful Tension

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10:2-16.

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,

"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" 

They were testing him.

He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" 

They replied,

"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce

and dismiss her."

But Jesus told them,

"Because of the hardness of your hearts

he wrote you this commandment. 

But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two shall become one flesh.

So they are no longer two but one flesh. 

Therefore what God has joined together,

no human being must separate." 

In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. 

He said to them,

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another

commits adultery against her;

and if she divorces her husband and marries another,

she commits adultery."

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them,

but the disciples rebuked them.

When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,

"Let the children come to me;

do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to

such as these. 

Amen, I say to you,

whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child

will not enter it."

Then he embraced them and blessed them
placing his hands on them.

---

Reflection

The Church has always upheld the dignity of Marriage as a divine institution that unites man and woman. The beautiful thing about marriage is that it is not just a choice made by both man and woman. Jesus pointed out that Divine Will deigned to unite man and woman in marriage: “... what God has joined.” This points out to us the unitive nature of God. He unites all things together.

Young people often ask what are the signs of doing God’s Will. God’s Will seeks to bring out unity and harmony in all things. Love unites the many into one. It makes something beautiful out of differences. It transforms contrast into complementarity. With man and woman made differently, God has designed their differences to make a beautiful whole.

God is not in discord but He exists in the beautiful tension of complementary unity. Especially in marriage, where the man and woman find themselves different more than the same, there God is working to bring out the complete face of His love. Human love must learn to live with beautiful tension in order to learn what divine love is all about.