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.
