COLLECT: “GRANT US, O LORD, WE PRAY, THAT THE COURSE OF THE WORLD MAY BE DIRECTED BY YOUR PEACEFUL RULE AND THAT YOUR CHURCH MAY REJOICE, UNTROUBLED IN HER DEVOTION. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.”
1Pt 1:18-25; Ps 147:12-15,19-20 and Mk 10:32-45.
Today’s first reading from 1Pt tells us that we have been ransomed from our futile conduct or from our useless way of life our ancestors handed down to us, not with anything corruptible like gold and silver, but with the precious Blood of Christ. This is done out of the love that the Lord has for us. We also in turn, have to be obedient to the truth and purify our souls to sincerely love our brothers and sisters. In the portion from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus predicts his passion, death and resurrection. However, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, seem not to grasp the meaning of these words. They think that Jesus’ Kingdom is of this world, centred on palaces and thrones for them to occupy and rule others. Thus, they ask for places of honour, one to sit at his right hand and the other at his left hand in his glory. Rather, Jesus’ Kingdom is in the hearts and lives of his followers, which must be exercised in service and love for others. This goes with suffering, pain, sacrifice, denial and persecution. Jesus uses images like the “chalice” and “baptism” which his followers must drink from and be baptised with.
Once again, today’s readings, especially the Gospel of Mark, touch on the sin of selfish ambition. This is a sin in the sense that the one who is selfishly ambitious does not love his fellow human beings, he/she does not consider others and does not regard any other person apart from himself/herself. He/she wants all the fame, praise and glory and therefore he/she is ready to do whatever, without considering others to attain his/her selfish wish. Sometimes it is even worse since some of these people can even use whatever ways and means, including foul ways and means to get that. No wonder such people are selfish and only inward-looking.
Secondly, selfish ambition is one of the root causes of sin. It easily leads to unhealthy competition among people and this can destroy the group or society. It easily leads to useless or baseless arguments, wrangling or infighting within the group or the society and this eventually destroys the group or society. This retards progress and development. In a group or society where some members are selfishly ambitious, other members’ talents and gifts can be killed or stagnated.
No wonder, Jesus uses this opportunity to give the 12 proper instructions regarding choosing to follow him. It is indeed great to be a follower of Jesus or to be his disciple but this greatness according to Jesus’ teaching especially in this passage of the Gospel of Mark, should be with a difference. Unlike businesses, organisations, institutions as well as individuals who measure their greatness in this world by personal achievements, in the Kingdom of Christ where he is in his glory, service is the way to greatness: that is, service to God and humanity and not personal achievements, positions and places of honour. ‘The greatest among you must be your servant and the first among you must 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”.
We pray that as disciples of Jesus, we may be ready and willing to suffer the minor irritations that sometimes come with serving other people. Serving others includes: correcting others from their errors and flaws, from their lies and dishonesty and from their sinful and satanic ways. We also serve others when we can help people appreciate, cultivate and inculcate in their lives values, ideals and standards of God (Heaven) rather than those of this temporal world. This certainly will not be easy, but that will be our share in drinking the ‘chalice of Jesus’ and being baptised with the ‘baptism of the Lord’. Pray for the courage, patience, endurance and perseverance to do that. May Saint Augustine of Canterbury intercede for us. Stay blessed and happy feast to all who bear the name Augustine.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, WEDNESDAY, ON THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: ‘THE RESURRECTION, THE ASCENSION, THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE ASSUMPTION, AND THE CORONATION’. (WE PRAY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE OF GOD, GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH AND TRUST IN MARY’S INTERCESSION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “NOURISHED BY YOUR SAVING GIFTS, WE BESEECH YOUR MERCY, LORD, THAT BY THIS SAME SACRAMENT WITH WHICH YOU FEED US IN THE PRESENT AGE, YOU MAY MAKE US PARTAKERS OF LIFE ETERNAL. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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