Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 53:10-11
Psalms 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Hebrews 4:14-16
Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45
Do you ever feel that sometimes it is easy for us to get in the way of ourselves? Designing grand plans and seeking full control/power over our own destiny can be a great temptation. But at the same time, we might overlook some important prerequisites, alternative views, and miss the most fundamental point of all: God is in control.
In our story from Mark this Sunday, James and John propose a plan that they seem to hope will secure a bright future for themselves. They set themselves apart from and above their fellow disciples.
Having crafted the question, they want Jesus to assure them of coveted spots on his right and left for all eternity. I’m guessing they were waiting for an affirmative response. Instead, Jesus probes their understanding of the meaning of true discipleship.
His response reinforces the need for his disciples’ ongoing instruction; Jesus knows their limited understanding of his mission and expectations need finetuning. James and John’s question highlights how easy it is to fall back on the human tendency to misconstrue the true meaning of having power. Their concept of power as self-serving promotes a perception all too common in societies of their day and today: our need to control. Jesus proposes an alternative and countercultural view: the power of discipleship is other serving. The power of discipleship is the willingness to accept suffering while acknowledging that God alone is in control.
By the nature of our baptism as committed disciples, we accept the cup and trust. Aside from the personal suffering we have experienced in our lives, we are also faced with a communal source of suffering. This communal source being the challenge to interact with critical issues that face our nation, world, and earth community. The challenge of the many “gray areas” within these issues calls us to consider how we can exercise our power to positively address presenting needs, even in the face of those who disagree with and/or mock us for our point of view.
What will we choose? Will we choose the serving power of Jesus, a power that accepts imperfection, gently transforming it with the heart to enact radical positive change? Or will we choose a self-serving power of grand design to exercise control to set ourselves above and apart?
Prayer: Loving God, you invite us into a loving and challenging relationship—a relationship rooted in sacrificial love, trust, and entrustment of your great gift of power. We pray that Jesus’ teachings and actions will inspire us to use our power wisely so that our choices regarding critical issues may benefit the common good. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sr. BarbaraAnn Sgro, OP
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