18/10/2009 - 29th. Sunday in Ordinary
Season - B
Ist. Reading Is 53,2.3.10-11 Psalm 32 IInd. Reading Heb 4,14-16 Gospel
Mk 10,35-45
"And do not lead us into temptation". We have already seen that the
tempter does not want us to come to know God as he truly is, that is, as Father
who loves and enjoys to love. He wants us to look at him as a powerful God,
ruler, so that we recognize him as god. No one would ever say such a thing or
would accept to adore the evil one instead of God. But the temptation is there,
and we can easily fall into it, if we are not careful and don't look for help.
One can easily pick up actions or attitudes that make believe that God is not
a Father but a ruler. We know that God is love, and that we can encounter him
on the way of love. We ourselves become a revelation of God and his prophecy
through love. It can happen that we start to reason on what is the best: this
make us feel superior to others, secure that we are right. Thus our life does
not witness to God: when one is more careful to his reasoning risk not to witness
to Jesus Christ, and don't help others to see and enjoy the patient, merciful,
and the meekness of God, on the contrary, others start the sour taste of pride
which is of Satan. The truth is the love of God: if one does not witness some
of God's love, is not in the truth, even though he might be convinced of "being
right". If even one's ideas and thinking are convincing, but the other
wont be able to see God's love, I remain in the lie and spread its smell and
taste all over. St. Ignatius Loyola, has picked up a motto, that is a word to
keep always present and on which weigh every decision: "For the greatest
glory of God". This word helped him to choose among the various things,
attitudes, and initiatives what would manifest most the faithful, merciful,
humble, continuous, generous, and patient love of the good God. If we do so,
than our life becomes a manifestation of God, a help for all to enjoy and taste
his sweetness, his goodness, his power and his simplicity. Every temptation
that deviates us from this way, hides from us the beauty and the goodness of
God, and on the contrary communicates the idea that he is a oppressing ruler.
We could smile at the scene of the two disciples who approach Jesus to ask him
to satisfy their wish without even knowing it: "We want you to do what
we ask you"! They are sure that the life of Jesus will have a turn out,
because - they thought - once he is in Jerusalem, he will be proclaimed as king.
So they felt sure that they were going to have a place of honor in his kingdom,
close to him. They were the first to follow him, and hence they feel that they
have the right to be treated in a special way. Jesus remains calm. He listens
to both of them, but he listens more to the Father. They want "to sit"
"in his glory", thinking of a human glory, which is a transitory one.
"Can you drink the chalice I drink?", he asked them with frankness.
He doesn't want to cheat them: he knows that his way to reach glory is to go
through the cross, as the prophets had said; he knows that no one can be with
him if he or she doesn't pass through the same way. The two brothers declare
their intention to share the same fate of their Master. But Jesus does not choose
for himself anything, hence even they should learn from him, and should not
choose anything for themselves. If they decided to live with him, they are to
do it freely, only for love, either wise they won't go through the same way.
The life of Jesus is always a gift to the Father, who use it freely: he knows
that he is a son who fulfills the loving plans of the Father.
The other ten are not better: they too await a reward from their Master, and
they too desire honorary places among men. Jesus helps them to understand what
goes in the world. Those who are retained as "rulers", in reality,
instead of serving, look only their personal interests and rule over their subjects.
The Kingdom of God, of which Jesus is the King, is not like human reigns. In
it the king is to represent God, the Father, who loves all and wants all to
be brothers.
Those who collaborate with the king are to imitate him in serving those whom
he serves. The word service is that word that shows mostly the character of
Jesus: he brings to and end his teaching to the apostle with this word. And
he reveals to them his service/ministry to them: "To give his life in ransom
to all". He knows well, as the Psalm says: that "no one can save himself
or give to God the price of his salvation" (49,8). No man can save himself:
it's him, Jesus, who serves by giving up his own life for them in the shedding
of his blood. This is the ministry of the high priest "who went through
the heavens", he entered where God himself is, and not only symbolically
into the temple of Jerusalem, where the high priest used to enter every year
for the people of Israel. Of this ministry all are to enjoy its fruits, because
the life he gives is not only a human life but also a divine life. We can take
part in his ministry by sacrificing our own life with real acts of love towards
each other. Love makes us sharers of the greatness and beauty of God.