Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 4 / (Green/White)
St. Paul VI, pope
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
1st Reading: 1 Peter 1: 18-25
Remember, that you were freed from the useless way of life of your ancestors, not with gold and silver, but with the precious blood of the Lamb without spot or blemish.
God, who has known Christ before the world began, revealed him to you in the last days. Through him, you have faith in God, who raised him from the dead, and glorified him, in order that you might put all your faith and hope in God.
In obeying the truth, you have gained interior purification, from which comes sincere mutual love. Love one another, then, with all your heart, since you are born again, not from mortal beings, but with enduring life, through the word of God, who lives and remains forever. It is written: All flesh is grass and its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. This word, is the gospel, which has been brought to you.
Gospel: Mark 10: 32-45
They were on the road going up to Jerusalem and Jesus was walking ahead. The Twelve were anxious, and those who followed were afraid.
Once more Jesus took the Twelve aside to tell them what was to happen to him. “You see, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the foreigners, who will make fun of him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him; but three days later he will rise.”
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Master, we want you to grant us what we are going to ask of you.” And he said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They answered, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, when you come in your glory.”
But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized in the way I am baptized?” They answered, “We can.”
And Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink; and you will be baptized in the way that I am baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant. It has been prepared for others.”
On hearing this, the other ten were angry with James and John. Jesus then called them to him and said, “As you know, the so-called rulers of the nations behave like tyrants, and those in authority oppress the people.
But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all.
Think of the Son of Man, who has not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life to redeem many.”
REFLECTION:
“Service is the way to greatness.”
Jesus came to serve and not to be served. Jesus’ authority is characterized by service. His disciples could not understand this. The idea of the disciples with regard to authority was related to political power.
In today’s Gospel, they approached Jesus and asked to sit with Jesus, one at the right and one at the left. As we have already mentioned, the disciples in the Gospel of Mark appeared to be too slow to grasp Jesus’ messiahship.
Jesus was teaching them about service and the value of sacrifice and all of a sudden, they would be requesting for seats of power. Interestingly, the other ten apostles, upon hearing what the sons of Zebedee did, would become indignant of the two.
They became indignant of the sons of Zebedee not because they understood Jesus’ messiahship but because they too failed to understand Jesus’ way.
The other ten were also eyeing the seats of political power.
Jesus then plainly explained to them that the path to greatness is not the seat of power. The way to true greatness is service.
CLARETIAN COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION, INC.
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