Mk 10:32-45
Ambition of James and John
OTHER HOMILY SOURCES:
“Ten easy steps to success!” Such and other “sure-fire” formulas are being popularized and surprisingly, there are enough people who readily devour such recipes for success in life.
Human as they were, the apostles were no exception. James and his brother john plotted to capture Jesus’ friendly ear by making use of a very Oriental ruse: “get the sympathy of an influential person through a woman – their mother, (Matt 20:20). The other apostles were no less ambitious than the sons of Zebedee. They had banked on their close kinship to Jesus, for after all, they were His cousins (adelphoi). Surely, once Jesus would have established His kingdom, they would jockey for such juicy positions as the secretary of defense, of the interior or even the very financially rewarding secretary of finance. In no time, they would bask in pomp and glory.
As a stern reminder of what was really in store for His disciples, Jesus pointed to service as the genuine seal of His realm. Sacrifice of one’s life would cap it all. Generations of Christians – from Peter and the others apostles to the latest martyrs – proved the truth in Jesus’ words. His kingdom, unlike others, is based on service and forged in the life-giving sacrifice of His followers. (Fr. Flor Lagura, SVD Bible Diary 2002)
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A pastor was discussing the 23rd Psalm with some children in his congregation. He told the children about the sheep, that they weren’t smart and needed lots of guidance and that a shepherd’s job was to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals and keep them from wandering off. He pointed to the little children in the room and said that they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance. Then the pastor put his hands out to the side, palms up in a dramatic gesture and with raised eyebrows said to the children: “if you are the sheep, then who is the shepherd?” He was pretty obviously indicating himself.
A silence of few seconds followed. Then a young girl said: “Jesus…Jesus is the Shepherd.” The young pastor, obviously caught by surprise, said to the little girl. “Well then, who am I?” the girl frowned thoughtfully and then said with a shrug: “I guess you must be a sheep dog.”
There were always the temptations to elevate our importance to project credibility, authority and power. Take a quick peek at your curriculum vitae and you’ll see what I mean. Serviced, with the example of Jesus as the yardstick, puts us in the right perspective. We go beyond the rewards of earthly praise to the joys of everlasting life.
Sometimes we put too much emphasis on ourselves but I know that God leaves us room to learn from human tendencies. At the end of the day we, in spite of our limitations, are entrusted by God to continue establishing His Kingdom. (Fr. Raymond Soriano, SVD Bible Diary 2007)
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In every national election, like the one who had last year, it is very evident that some candidates are driven by the thirst for power. All possible ways and means, even illegal and criminal, are employed just to win. All the candidates would claim: “”Gusto kong makapaglingdod sa bayan at sa mga tao.” Service is their slogan. Seemingly, they are just responding to the call of Jesus: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant….”
Looking at reality, however, one would doubt whether they are really after genuine service. Imagine, for example, a husband and a wife fighting for the same position; a son against father, a brother against brother and so on. Almost entire families are running for various elective positions. Maybe they are just imitating the two brothers, James and John, who wanted to “sit one at your right and the other at your left in the Kingdom.” Jesus, however, had to clarify and correct whatever misconceptions they had. “you know that those who 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 among you.” He set Himself as an example: “”For the Son of Man did not come to be serve but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus’ example is meant to be the standard of living for every Christian follower. As a song clearly states: “We are made for service to care for all men (People)….” Fr. Kolbe, a Polish priest, imitated the Lord. As a prisoner during WWII, he offered his life to save the life of a fellow prisoner who had a wife and children. Fr. Damien the Leper cared for lepers until he himself became a leper and died a leper. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is another example of a servant to others. It is told that when she was engaged in picking up the dying and caring for them, a journalist commented: “Not even for a million dollars would I do a job like that!” Mother Teresa responded: “Neither would I.” She did it out of love for the Lord. May Christians like them, we too in our own way can offer services out of love. May we never be motivated to serve others only if the price is right.” (Fr. Randy Botial, SVD Bible Diary 2008)
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If you want to be great, then:
- Serve – Mother Teresa of Calcutta (our intro story)
- Inspiration – latest one is the latest international singer Madonna Decena, a finalist of this singing reality show like American Idol or Pinoy Idol (May, 2008) who work abroad in order to earn money to give financial needs and others to her two children and parents, a single mother. Latest one is the heart operation of her mother. In spite of hardships, she said that she can be an inspiration of others because of what she has done. You are our inspiration, Madonna. Let us be an inspiration to others. Inspiration for love, thinking, service and humility.
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See Today’s Readings: Year I, Year II
Back to: Wednesday of the 8th Week of the Year
