October 17th 2021. Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL Mark 10:35-45

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

 

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

 

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GOSPEL 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."

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. The request of the brothers is selfish. Yet it is a form of prayer and Christ purifies it.

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah is an incredible prophecy of the sacrificial self-giving of Christ. It is very relevant for the Gospel. James and John ask Jesus for their glorification ahead of the other disciples. Though this request is objectionable, yet it is a form of prayer. When we pray, we are often asking God for something. We are often expressing mundane and carnal desires that arise from our fears and our fragility. These desires need to be visited by God’s grace. The request of the brothers to have positions of prominence is a very common craving of human beings. We have this anxiety to see ourselves being successful, to have importance and standing. We want to be someone, but what we really need is to allow God to work within us. In reply, Jesus asks the brothers if they are willing to drink the chalice that he must drink. At the Passion, this drinking of a chalice involves subjecting oneself in obedience, following God’s will, rather than pursuing one’s own inclinations. When the brothers assent, Jesus says, “Fine. You will drink the chalice. You will be baptised in my baptism, immersed in this new life”. In other words, Jesus accepts their unseemly request and makes something better of it.

 

2. Instead of focussing on own projects, we need to immerse ourselves in God’s will

The point is this. We can get up in the morning and seek to do something which brings us glory, but what we really need to do is to immerse ourselves in what God is going to send us today, drink the chalice that he sets before us. God has prepared something for me today and it is important that I be immersed in that. It is not important that my own desires and projects for today be realised.

 

3. At the end of our lives we will not ask ourselves what we have, but what we gave

The others are indignant. Why are they angry? Because they too wished to be the most prominent and are annoyed to be outflanked by the brothers! Jesus then tells them the secret of greatness. Real greatness lies, not in power, but in the capacity to serve and care for the life of others, the power to love which Jesus shows on the cross. The Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve. Authentic life involves being open to the will of God, drink the chalice that he prepares for us, so that we can become the place where others find repose. What fulfilment and satisfaction we receive from giving life to others! How beautiful is the Christian life, to abandon oneself to the will of God so that we manifest his image, becoming founts of peace and forgiveness, of beauty and welcome. When we are at the end of our lives, we will not wonder if we were great or powerful. We will not ask ourselves how much we have, but rather how much we gave. Yes, we can drink the chalice that Christ drinks, we too can abandon ourselves into the hands of the Father, serve others and become sources of life.

 

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY . . . James and John ask Jesus to give them the most important positions of glory in the future kingdom. It might surprise us to read that Jesus does not chide or scold them. Instead he seeks to purify their desires and looks for what is good underneath their egoistic demands. Yes, they can indeed have the glory that they seek, but they must first be close to him in his sacrificial love. This is how it is for all of us. We all have disordered desires for self-advancement. Underneath these is the authentic desire for true life. If we wish to be close to Jesus in his glory, then we must be close to him in the way we love and serve others. This is true glory! The worst aspect of the demand made by James and John is that they sought to choose their own positions in the future kingdom. But it is God who chooses that. We must receive what he gives us and follow him. It is communion to which we are called, not individual self-aggrandisement. The other apostles become indignant when they hear that James and John have made such a request, but their indignation is really a form of competitiveness. Jesus then addresses himself to all of them. “Do all of you wish to be great? Do you all wish to have glory? That is good! It is not a bad desire in itself. But if you wish to have real glory, then put yourselves at the service of others. If you wish to be great, then become the slave of others. It is love and service that gives glory. It is self-transcendence that makes us great. It is the overcoming of our egos that makes us wonderful.” This authentic glory is buried within our disordered search for human glory. Let us allow ourselves to be annihilated by this authentic glory revealed in the Gospel for Sunday.