Sunday, October 17, 2021

 THE TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 53: 10-11; Hebrews 4: 14-16; Mark 10: 35-45)

Recent news reports about the Church have been distressing. In Rome a cardinal is on trial for embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars. More devastating is the report from France where hundreds of thousands of clerical abuse cases are being investigated. Evidently, like the sons of Zebedee in the gospel today, some current Church leaders are dismissive of the teachings of Jesus.

In the passage, Jesus warns the Zebedee brothers of the precariousness of thinking of themselves as great. James and John have asked him to grant them the highest positions in his kingdom. They hadn't listened to him before when he spoke of the need to humble oneself like a child. The human urge for recognition is so strong that it moves a disciple of Jesus to betray one of his basic principle. It is not unheard of that a politician seeks public office or a young man pursues the priesthood just to consider himself accomplished. But once the person takes office, she or he does not know what to do and does not care much about its responsibilities.

We feel that our lives are missing something valuable if other people do not recognize us as important. In a sense we are like those addressed in the Letter to the Hebrews in today’s second reading. The “Hebrews” are likely first century Jewish Christians who are thinking of leaving the faith. Because they have had to suffer a little without witnessing the return of the Lord, they want to leave the faith. The writer has to remind them that Jesus knows both their anxieties and their suffering. More to the point, the goal of waiting for Jesus is to share his glory for having participated in his sacrifice.

The first reading tells of the "Suffering Servant." This character is found in four passages of the second part of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The name of this saint is never revealed, but the Jews have long associated him with the people of Israel who have suffered so much through history. However, we Christians have interpreted him differently. We find in his sufferings the profile of Jesus Christ. Like the Servant, Jesus gave his life to ease our sorrows. He wearied himself so that we see the light of divine wisdom. He was counted as a criminal so that we would be set free from sin. We have to conform our lives to his ways, not those of the greats of the world.

Still at times we feel anxious in closely following Christ. We find it difficult to internalize the hope that Jesus will come with glory for his followers. Seeing other people boasting about his accomplishments, we wonder if serving like Jesus is worth the effort. We would like the attention that people give to the boasters. In these moments we should look at the patience that Jesus has first with James and John, then with all the twelve. He does not criticize them, much less curse them for not understanding his words. Like a brother he lovingly explains to them the will of the Father. He is also our brother. He loves us and speaks to us in our consciences of his support. How could we leave such an excellent person?

The company commander is said to be one of the army’s most fulfilling wartime positions. He serves with the troops in the middle of the fighting, but he must think strategically as well. In addition, he has responsibility for hundreds of soldiers. In a memoir of the Korean War a lieutenant writes with the admiration of his company commander. He says the leader would go out on daily patrols if his superiors allowed it. Nonetheless, he was so attentive to everything that it seemed like he never slept. He was fair, not too severe with the lazy, not too friendly with the diligent. In a sense, Jesus can be seen as this type of man: decisive, caring, effective. With Jesus we are not concerned about importance. With Jesus our only concern is to stay close to him.