Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 10-21-12, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 10-21-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

TRUE GREATNESS

(A biblical refection on THE 29^th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – 21 October, 2012) 

First Reading: Is 53:10-11; Psalms: Ps 33:4-5,18-19,20,22; Second Reading: Heb 4:14-16; Gospel Reading: Mk 10:35-45 

NOBLE prizes are awarded every year in literature, economics and science. People who have made outstanding contributions in these fields are given due recognition for their achieved greatness.

Excellence is recognized in the sports world, too. For example, when Pete Rose surpassed Ty Cobb’s record number of hits in 1985, he assured himself a place in baseball’s Hall of Fame.

We all aspire to greatness in some form or other. It is a desire which our Lord addresses in today’s Gospel.

The brothers James and John approach Jesus with their own idea of greatness – to sit at His right hand and His left when He comes into His Kingdom, a sort of instant-success notion of greatness.

But Jesus has other ideas about greatness. Greatness begins with a cup of suffering and a baptism of pain. Greatness is achieved through service.

We have here another reversal of values for which Jesus is famous. “The first shall be last,” “He who loses his life shall save it,” and “He who humbles himself shall be exalted” are other examples of how Jesus often reverses our values.

Greatness through suffering and service is not exalted” are other examples of how Jesus often reverses our values.

Greatness through suffering and service is not exactly a popular notion today. Greatness through making a lot of money or by drawing huge crowds at a rock concert seems to be today’s standard.

But if we look deeper into enduring examples of greatness, we see that the Lord is right. Alexander the Great was a remarkable leader because he stood by his men in battle. Albert the Great was an intellectual giant because he disciplined himself for study. Beethoven was a master composer because he struggled long hours to get the right note. Martin Luther was a great reformer because he persisted in spite of opposition.

True greatness was achieved by these men because they were willing to make sacrifices to realize their vision. They attained their goals because they were able to endure disappointments along the way.

So if we are aspiring to greatness in some area, we have to be able to suffer sometimes, put up with pain, whether physical or emotional, and overcome obstacles. Moreover, if we aspire to higher forms of greatness in terms of what makes us truly human and holy, then we have to be willing to serve others and even to lay down our lives for them.

The word serve might bother us a little because we commonly associate it with activity that is menial or demeaning. But the sense in which our Lord uses the term service includes any act that is noble and unselfish, any gesture that affirms and encourages someone, and any deed that is done with kindness and generosity.

Understood this way, people who are achieving greatness in God’s eyes are: parents who raise their children according to Christian values; teachers who inspire students to high ideals; doctors and nurses who heal and care for the sick; volunteers who visit shut-ins; neighbors whom we can call in any emergency.

In closing, we might say that James and John were acting like wimps when they went after an easy, suffering-free, false kind of greatness. Pray that we might be real men and real women who aspire to genuine greatness – a greatness that has a God-magnitude about it – the giving of service and even our lives for others.

Note: Taken from Albert Cylwicki, CSB, HIS WORD RESOUNDS, Makati, Philippines: St. Paul Publications, 1991, pages 189-190.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scrpture Study

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

October 21, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Isaiah 53:10-11

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

Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16

Gospel Reading: Mark 10:35-45

• This Sunday’s Gospel reading finds Jesus still resolutely making his way to Jerusalem and his destiny and, for the third time in Mark’s gospel, predicting his upcoming Passion to his disciples (Mark 10:32-34. See also Mark 8:31 and 9:30-32).

• The apostles James and John (along with St. Peter) formed what can be called Jesus’ “inner circle.” They appear with him at key moments where the other apostles are not invited—at the raising of the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43), the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8), and in the Garden of Gethsemane during his prayer of agony (Mark 14:32-42).

• It was not long before this Sunday’s episode, however, that he rebuked them as they argued over which of them was the greatest (verses 9:33-37). And now, with Jesus’ latest prediction of his Passion still in their ears, James and John (verse 35) and then the other disciples (verse 41) again display a preoccupation with worldly ambition: they still misunderstand the Kingdom.

• Jesus takes the opportunity to contrast their concept of power-leadership in the world with that of servant-leader in the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

QUESTIONS:

• Considering the 2^nd Reading, What do you think Jesus really thinks of you? How well do you think he understands the problems you face? How much do you think he actually likes you? How confident are you to approach the “throne of grace”—and how often do you do it to seek help for yourself when you need it?

• In the Gospel, what view of the Kingdom are James and John still clinging to? How do you think could they respond like this in light of Jesus’ words in verses 33—34?

• What is the “baptism” James and John are to be baptized with (verse 38)? What forms did that baptism take in their lives (see Acts 12:2 and Revelation 1:9)?

• What are the cup (Matthew 26:39), the baptism (Luke 12:49-50), and the glory (John 1:14, 17:5) as each applies to Jesus?

• What were some of the reasons, do you think, the other disciples were “indignant” at James and John (verse 41)?

• How does Jesus practice what he preached? In this context, what is a “ransom for many” (verse 45)? How is the death of Christ the ultimate service to all?

• Who in your experience has been a true servant leader? Are you a servant leader at work or home? Could you be? How? Do you resist following the servant’s path to greatness? What is one way could you serve this week?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 608, 618, 1225, 1551, 1570

 

His Majesty knows best what is suitable for us; it is not for us to advise him what to give us, for he can rightly reply that we know not what we ask.     –St. Teresa of Avila

[Salvation]

 

The Throne of Grace and Mercy

Pastor’s Column

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 21, 2012

 

 

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

                                                  Hebrews 4:14 – 16

 

 

         

          As many of you know, my sister died this week in Portland after a long illness, which has turned my thoughts to the mystery of life after death. What do we find when we pass over into eternity? What lies beyond the veil of death? We can rely on Jesus who created us to give us some of the answers to these questions, even though at present we see only with the eyes of faith.

 

          It was Jesus and Jesus alone who fully passed from heaven to earth when he was born and back to heaven after he died. And he promised to be with us always in other forms! We do well to rely on an eyewitness account of what the world of the future is like, and Jesus provides this. What can we learn from this beautiful passage?

 

          Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. Jesus was both fully God and fully human. When we remember this, we can realize that when we pray to him, he also fully understands our struggles and trials, or weaknesses and sins, because he has been there. He knows that we cannot see God, and that we were designed to live and dwell with him. Jesus’ answer to our weaknesses and trials is always the cross! He does not always take away our own sufferings, but always offers us his own that we might unite our weakness with his own as an act of love. The supreme symbols of the weakness Jesus took on for love of you and me may be seen when we look at a crucifix or receive the Eucharist. Jesus, then, uses the weakness inherent in human life as a way to unite us with his love.

 

          Jesus sits on a throne of grace and mercy. Jesus is not waiting to throw a book at you on the last day! Some people condemn themselves, it is true, but only if they do not want and choose to reject the mercy of God.  The Mass in particular is a fountain of grace, forgiveness and strength for the journey. How could Almighty God reveal himself in a weaker form than bread and wine? He has done this for you alone. And he has promised to forgive every sin we commit, so long as we ask, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

          Jesus gives us timely help. Sometimes, it does seem as if God’s timing is off, but he really does know what he is doing, and while many things make no sense here, when we are in eternity, even a lifetime of suffering will seem to have passed in a moment. Like many of you, I am anxious to have a nice long face-to-face talk with Jesus, because I have many questions about why things happen the way they do, but until then, we can rely on the fact that everything Jesus permits in our lives is intended to assist us in our journey to heaven, and to help others along the way. 

 

                                                                                                    Father Gary

[Salvation]

St. Paul Center blog

Cup of Salvation: Scott Hahn reflects on the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 10.19.12 |

The sons of Zebedee hardly know what they’re asking in today’s Gospel. They are thinking in terms of how the Gentiles rule, of royal privileges and honors.

But the road to Christ’s kingdom is by way of His cross. To share in His glory, we must be willing to drink the cup that He drinks.

The cup is an Old Testament image for God’s judgment. The wicked would be made to drink this cup in punishment for their sins (see Psalm 75:9; Jeremiah 25:15, 28; Isaiah 51:17). But Jesus has come to drink this cup on behalf of all humanity. He has come to be baptized—which means plunged or immersed—into the sufferings we all deserve for our sins (compare Luke 12:50).

In this He will fulfill the task of Isaiah’s suffering servant, whom we read about in today’s First Reading.

Readings:
Isaiah 53:10-11
Psalm 33:4-5,18-20,22
Hebrews 4:14-16
Mark 10:35-45

Like Isaiah’s servant, the Son of Man will give His life as an offering for sin, as once Israel’s priests offered sacrifices for the sins of the people (see Leviticus 5:17-19).

Jesus is the heavenly high priest of all humanity, as we hear in today’s Epistle. Israel’s high priests offered the blood of goats and calves in the temple sanctuary. But Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood (see Hebrews 9:12).

And by bearing our guilt and offering His life to do the will of God, Jesus ransomed “the many”—paying the price to redeem humanity from spiritual slavery to sin and death. 

He has delivered us from death, as we rejoice in today’s Psalm.

We need to hold fast to our confession of faith, as today’s Epistle exhorts us. We must look upon our trials and sufferings as our portion of the cup He promised to those who believe in Him (see Colossians 1:24). We must remember that we have been baptized into His passion and death (see Romans 6:3).

In confidence, let us approach the altar today, the throne of grace, at which we drink the cup of His saving blood (see Mark 14:23-24).

[Salvation]

29th Sunday -- Our Mission of Faith

 

"Whoever wishes to be great among you will be will your servant . . . "

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102112.cfm

 

Is 53: 10-11

Hb 4:14-16
Mk 10: 35-45

Towards the end of his life Pope John Paul II wrote that all the horrible experiences of his youth (death of his mother, brother and father; Nazi and Communist oppression in Poland) taught him that there was a “limit imposed on evil in . . . history.” This limit had to do with the mercy of God.  Ultimately, despite what seemed like the unmovable strength of evil, its destruction and darkness, God’s love ultimately remains greater and we need not be afraid. 

How many of us could say the same?  These are the thoughts and convictions of a man who was tried and tested greatly and through his own perseverance and the grace of God came out on top.  It is an inspiring testimony to the power of faith that was lived out not with force and fear but with the moral power of love and truth.  

The Church has begun a Year of Faith and we again hear a word that is both ancient and new: Evangelization. It is a word that has spoken in darkness and persecution over the ages of Christian history.

When Pope John XXIII formerly opened the Second Vatican Council in October of 1962 he spoke about opening the windows and the necessary reform of the Church which is both ancient and new.  He spoke about optimism and not despair in the face of global nuclear threat. The Church must speak to the modern world in a way that is not stilted and distant but active and participatory. That is no small task to announce with conviction the powerful message of Christ’s Gospel.   

To share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to evangelize.  It began with the mission of the Church entrusted to it by Christ himself: “Go and make disciples of all nations . . .” (Mt 28: 19).  Those words have passed down from generation to generation of Christians. We can say with confidence that the mission of the early Church is still our mission today - to be of service to society which sorely needs good news and a clear moral voice.

In this Year of Faith we now hear of a “new” Evangelization which calls all of us to not be silent or passive about our faith.  Pope Benedict XVI has set two visions for the new evangelization:

-           To “re-propose” the Gospel to “those regions awaiting the first evangelization.” It may be hard to imagine in this age of information overload and instant communication that someone has never heard of Jesus Christ and his Church.  Yet, we think of lands that have been so consistently non-Christian as to essentially know nothing about the significance of our salvation in Christ.

-           Secondly, the new evangelization re-proposes the faith “to those regions where the roots of Christianity are deep but who have experienced a serious crisis of faith due to secularization.”  We don’t have to look far at all to see how much God and religion, Christianity and the voice of Catholicism in particular, have been pushed far to the margins here in America, Canada, and Western Europe.  We need to hear a “let’s take another look at this” invitation. Some would rather the Church simply stand in the corner like a potted plant and say nothing in regards to moral issues that threaten to reform culture in ways far from the truth revealed to us by God. But effective evangelization is not silent. How must the Church speak and fulfill its mission of service? 

In our Gospel this Sunday from Mark 10: 35-45, we hear of two brothers, James and John, among the chosen twelve who misread the very mission of Jesus.  They presume Jesus’ mission is rooted in fame, success and earthly power.  When the time is right, they want to take advantage of opportunities to bask in that same glory and power: "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."

The other disciples are clearly resentful at this blatant grab for power.  For in the ancient culture of Jesus’ day, the only way one could advance would be through deceptive means. It was somewhat fatalistic as the occupation of one’s family (father) determined the future career of the sons. Privilege was believed to be foreordained and to fight against one’s fate was evil.

Our Lord reminds James and John, and through them ourselves, that his mission is one of humble service and it is there where greatness lies. That true Christian leadership is not expressed with the self-glorification of raw power but with the authority of moral example and service to others after the imitation of Jesus himself: “. . . 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." (Mk 10: 44-45). What better moment was that expressed in than the cross?

How, then, would we best re-propose the faith of the Church to others and to ourselves? The history of Christianity has shown us less than stellar examples of moments when the intent was laudable but the method used was misguided in the spread of the faith - the Crusades and the Inquisition for example. 

But we see true conversions taking place through the moral leadership of our great saints: Francis of Assisi, Vincent de Paul, Teresa of Avila, Blessed Mother Teresa, and Blessed Pope John Paul II just to name a few. Through them the faith was re-proposed to those who already believed. It seems to me, this is what Jesus is getting at as he invites James and John, and us, to drink from: “. . . the cup that I drink from you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized . . .” (Mk 10: 39).

Jesus speaks of a cup to drink from.  As we gather for the Eucharist we are fed on his Word and share in the living presence of the risen Lord where we eat his body and drink his blood. Our year of faith challenges every one of us to hear again that Word and Presence re-presented to us. It seems that it can begin with the place where we are most fed for the mission of Jesus is not ours but his.  We need to begin with ourselves – to re-propose the faith to our own lives first and only then can we be authentic and convincing disciples of the Lord.  

This Sunday, it might be good for all of us to pause a moment and reflect as to just how deeply the good news of Christ has touched me.  Though I may indeed be trying my best, is there some part that has yet to embrace the challenge of the Gospel?  Do I need to hear it again – to hear a re-proposition of what I may think I have heard but only in part? 

 

Fr. Tim

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

No Cross, no Kingdom. Know the Cross, know the Kingdom.

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, October 21, 2012 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Isa 53:10-11
• Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
• Heb 4:14-16
•  Mk 10:35-45

“No pain, no gain.” The well-known saying became popular among exercise enthusiasts in the 1980s. It was a motto for those who knew from experience that peak physical fitness requires perspiration, pain, and commitment. Variations of the sweaty slogan have been traced back to the seventeenth-century English poet Robert Herrick, and Ben Franklin, in the 1734 edition of Poor Richard's Almanack, wrote: “There are no gains, without pains...”

None of those sloganeers, I’m guessing, had the Passion and death of Jesus Christ in mind. But it fits, even if only as a introductory summary. And today’s Gospel could be given a similar slogan of sorts: “No Cross, no Kingdom.”

The conversation between Jesus and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, is a bit unsettling. It should certainly surprise anyone who thinks the disciples were dutifully pious saints from the very beginning, or simply robotic “yes-men” foils for Jesus. “Teacher,” they boldly—even impatiently and demandingly—declared to Jesus, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

How audacious! My initial thought is, “Who do they think they are? Don’t they know who they are talking to?” Then, after further reflection, I have to admit how often I have approached Jesus in the same way, making demands in the guise of thinly veiled impatience. I need this done now, God! I want an answer immediately—and here’s the answer I expect!

Of course, God wants us to come to him with our problems and fears. But there is an essential difference between approaching God with humble trust and telling him, “Do what I ask of you!” The correct approach recognizes who we are in the light of God’s revealed truth and love. “For me,” wrote St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven.” James and John looked toward heaven, not with the simple humility of gratitude, but with a selfish hunger for personal glory.

They wanted to be rulers and sons of God, seated on the right and left hands of the Lord. Perhaps they had in mind the well-known words of the Psalmist: “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool’” (Ps. 110:1). Jesus provided the necessary reality check: “You do not know what you are asking.” When we make demands of God, it indicates that we have lost sight of who we are and what God desires us to be. This is why the prayer given by Jesus to his disciples states, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…”

It is one thing to follow a teacher; it is quite another to follow the Son of God to the Cross. As we heard in last week’s Gospel, the rich young ruler could not follow Jesus because of his attachment to riches. Likewise, all of us struggle with burdens, baggage, and desires that threaten to keep us from the Cross, or tempt us to come down from it. As someone dryly observed, “The only problem with a living sacrifice is it wants to crawl off the altar.”

Jesus asked his disciples if they could drink the cup he would drink. Throughout the Old Testament the cup often symbolized God’s judgment, and of the death—ultimately spiritual in nature—waiting the unrepentant wicked. The only man who didn’t deserve to drink the cup was the sinless God-man. But “through his suffering,” God proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah, “my servant shall justify many and their guilt he shall bear.” Willing to drink the deadly cup, the risen Lord and great high priest now offers the life-saving cup of his blood, the cup of the new and everlasting covenant which anticipates the feast of the coming Kingdom (CCC 2837, 2861).

“Apart from the cross,” St. Rose of Lima said, “there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven” (cf. CCC 618). No Cross, no Kingdom. Know the Cross, know the Kingdom.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the October 18, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

To Serve Is to Reign

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father Steven Reilly, LC

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."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, your apostles longed to follow you. You want to show me the difference between earthly and heavenly glory. For you, what matters is not being at Christ’s right or left but sharing in his redemptive work. As I kneel before you today, I want to offer myself and all of today’s struggles and efforts as a sign of my friendship and love.

Petition: Lord Jesus, help me to learn how to be a Christian leader.

1. Gentile Rulers, AKA, the Bossy Soul: People who “make their authority felt” have a variety of ways to do so. Sometimes they thank you for your good idea and then proceed to tell you why it would never work. Their approach is sometimes subtle — a quiet reminder of potential negative consequences. Other times it can be a shout to help focus attention. We all know people like this, people who boss others around. Maybe we’re even one of them…. Jesus has only one answer for this outlook — his own example: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.…” Jesus is Lord, but he wasn’t bossy!

2. If Not a Gulp, at Least a Sip: For James and John to follow Christ, they will have to “drink the cup” that the Lord will drink. What is this cup? Fast forward to Gethsemane: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me” (Luke 22:42). Jesus’ own human nature struggled with the implications of full adherence to God’s plan. Ultimately, he would drink that cup — one of bitter suffering, to the very dregs. He called James and John to imitate him. He is inviting us as well. Fortunately, he prepares our souls to be generous. He guides us to greater spiritual maturity, offering us little “sips” from his cup. The small sufferings of daily life purify our souls.

3. Servant Leadership: Jesus’ life was a “ransom for many.” He was the servant of Yahweh and, as such, he constantly served others in their most profound needs. Jesus met people where they were the weakest: he helped the blind regain their sight, the lame to walk, lepers to be cleansed, the deaf to hear, the dead to rise, and to the poor he preached the good news (Cf. Matthew 11:5). A leader has vision, but unless he is a servant leader, he may see only his vision. We cannot allow ourselves to be out of touch with the needs of those around us. Let us strive to serve others by meeting them on their level.

Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for this time of prayer. I have seen how you formed James and John. Through humble service of my neighbor, help me to go to the next level.

Resolution: I will perform a hidden act of charity for someone whom I find bothersome.

[Salvation]

This Sunday’s Gospel: John and James

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. on October 19, 2012

It was time to make their move.  Usually it was Peter who took the initiative, but now it was their turn.  They cleared their throats and asked the master for the best seats in the house, the places of honor right next to the throne.

Of course, in this conversation, recounted in Sunday’s gospel, John and James were referring to that glorious moment when Jesus would be finally acclaimed as king of Israel, indeed, of all the world.  They envisioned themselves as prime minister A and prime minister B who should naturally bask in the splendor of the monarch.

Jesus was quite restrained in his correction.  For it would be natural for the disciples to strive for excellence since God created us to do so.  And it would natural for them to think that excellence would mean privilege, honor and glory, for that is how everyone seems to think of it, whether Jew or Gentile.  Both chief priests and Roman governors were surrounded with pomp and circumstance, servants and sycophants.

Jesus wanted them to be ambitious to achieve true greatness, which is not about having big heads but big hearts.  It is that love called charity that makes men and women truly great, since it makes them like God in whose image they were created.  And Jesus had begun to show them what God’s love was like, but they’d not gotten the point.  Their feet had not yet been washed and the King had not been crowned with thorns.  They’d not yet understood that love is self-emptying, that true greatness lies in sacrifice, that “prime minister” means servant of all.

In a world where self-interest and self-promotion are the law of the land, such a love is destined to suffer.  To be great in love is to suffer much.  The cup of feasting may come, but only after the cup of suffering.  Jesus had come to drain this bitter cup to its dregs.  Were they ready to drink it with him?  Glibly they answered yes, oblivious to the implications of their choice.  They’d learn soon enough what it would entail.

Jesus, says the letter to the Hebrews, can be compassionate and merciful with us, because he was tempted in every way that we are tempted, though he never succumbed.  He could correct the sons of Zebedee with gentleness because he himself was tempted to gain the favor and glory of the kingdoms of the world by bowing before the father of pride (Mathew 4:8-9).  He chose instead humbly to serve the Father of mercy.

You’d think it would be easier for us to get the point than the two brothers.  After all, we received the spirit of understanding when, in baptism and confirmation, we put on the mind of Christ.  We know the end of the story–that the resurrection follows the crucifixion.

But unfortunately, there’s still a scar left on all us from the snakebite passed down to us by our first parents, and a residue of the serpent’s venom still lingers on.  There is a tug within us to climb over others in our rise to greatness, to exalt ourselves even at others expense, even to trip up others so that we may get ahead.  We are tempted to let others take the rap so that we might look good, to leave others holding the bag while we escape scott-free, to leave the dirty dishes for others lest, God forbid, we do more than our “fair share.”

If we are to be followers of Jesus and be truly great, we must renounce placing any limits on how much we are willing to give or whom we are willing to serve.  The one who is greatest, and is most like God, is not the one who appears on the cover of People magazine.  It is the one who will go to the greatest lengths for those who are least worthy and least grateful.

 

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio writes from Texas.

[Salvation]

The Greatness of Christ’s Followers

by Food For Thought on October 21, 2012

Let us remember that the Church exists to evangelize. The Church, which is you and I, is missionary by nature. Through our baptism, we were baptized into this body of Christ, the Church. For better or for worse, we are symbols of Jesus Christ in the world. It is therefore our mission, our very lifeblood to see Mission Sunday, not as an outsider, but as someone called to be on mission.

Sadly, in the Church today many Catholics have been sacramentalized but not catechized: baptized but not formed in the teaching of Jesus and his Church. A certain lethargy has attached itself to the Church, making many of us spiritually anemic, reluctant to share faith with others. Almost like parasites, we eagerly receive the sacraments and other riches of the Church, but we hesitate to share it with others. We listen to God’s Word, but are reluctant to proclaim it ourselves. We must ask ourselves, why? Is it because the Word of God has not embedded itself within us? Does Jesus mean anyone or anything to us at all?

An old principle goes: we cannot give to others what we do not have ourselves. Hence we need first of all to be “missionized.” lf our Christianity is only a matter of rules and regulations like going to Church on Sundays and not eating meat on Fridays; if our faith is only a matter of convenience and not of conviction; if Christ is only a statue and not a person whom we really know, then we are certainly thinking and viewing Mission Sunday as an outsider. We will end up with excuses saying: “Not me, I am too busy; I am too afraid, I don’t know to talk to others about Christ.”

We need to have the faith level conviction in our intellect and in our heart. Once that happens, we will need no urging to witness to Christ. We will feel impelled from within to celebrate and share the life of Jesus. We must begin today because now is the acceptable moment of salvation. In our own corner of the world, let us light the lamp of Christ by what we say and how we live, by what we believe and what we stand for, and by the attitudes we manifest. Let these be seen and heard loud and clear at home, in our study and work place, in our neighborhood, and particularly with those who do not share our faith. May the people around us begin to see a difference in our lives, and let that difference be Christ himself. After all, he is there to inspire us every step of the way. Let us not forget that with his great commission: “Go make disciples of all nations,” we also have his great promise: “Know that I am with you always until the end of time.”

Mission Sunday is a day to thank God for our faith. Christ expects each one of us to never let a day pass without proclaiming God’s message of salvation to those around us. None of us can say that we cannot be a good Christian, that we cannot pray, that we cannot offer to God our crosses for the salvation of our brothers and sisters. If we try, we shall discover that we can help to spread the kingdom of God far more that we think.

Let us keep in mind that there is no shorter way to heaven than helping others to reach there. And so, as we worship God today, let us pray we may have the courage to shout out and offer to all those around us Christ and his message of salvation for Christ is our lifeblood and theirs as well.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, October 21, 2012 >>

29th Sunday Ordinary Time

Isaiah 53:10-11
Hebrews 4:14-16
View Readings

Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22
Mark 10:35-45

SUFFERING SERVANTS

"Through His suffering, My Servant shall justify many." —Isaiah 53:11

 

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would not only be the Christ (the Anointed One) and Emmanuel (God with us), but also God's "Servant." The Servant-Messiah would transform the world primarily through suffering. This Suffering Servant would be crushed in infirmity, burdened with all our guilt, afflicted, and put to death "as an Offering for sin" (see Is 53:10-11). Jesus was the Fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. He came not "to be served but to serve — to give His life in ransom for the many" (Mk 10:45).

Jesus calls us to follow Him and "serve the needs of all" (Mk 10:44). At first, we're open to this, but we later want to change our minds as we realize that our service will also be primarily through suffering. We are tempted to contrive a Christianity which minimizes suffering. Christianity does remove much suffering by healing the sick and setting people free from the evil one. However, authentic Christianity frees us from some sufferings to free us for other sufferings: rejection, self-sacrifice, and persecution. We must decide whether or not to serve, suffer, and be a Christian. Be a suffering servant; be a Christian.

 

Prayer: Father, may I rejoice in the measure I serve and suffer (see 1 Pt 4:13).

Promise: "Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need." —Heb 4:16

Praise: "Exult, you just, in the Lord; praise from the upright is fitting" (Ps 33:1). Alleluia!

[Salvation]

 

Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.67 --Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas In Veritate

[Salvation]

http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2012-10-21-Homily%20Fr%20Konrad%20Schaefer.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily