Gospel: Matthew 20:17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, 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.
The Mass intention is for the Welfare of Mother Francesca.
Reflection:
Many years ago, when I was still in the Philippines, a fellow parishioner and I have a conversation. When she heard that I was serving as a Mass reader at the Cathedral Basilica of our archdiocese, she then told me to keep up the work so that our parish would have an edge over other parishes. While I appreciated her words of encouragement, I felt sorry for her motive. This reminds me of the story of the mother of James and John approaching Jesus and asking Him “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Perhaps the mother of these apostles thought that her sons left everything to work with the Lord. “Surely, sitting next to Jesus in His glory won’t be too much to ask would it?”, she would have thought. The other apostles became indignant of the two brothers. Could it be that they too wished the same? The Lord then clarified His own version of greatness: “whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.” For the world, Jesus’ standard of greatness would be unacceptable. In a rat race culture, everyone wants to have an edge over others. Everyone wants to sit on either side of the boss. Jesus destroys that concept when He knelt and washed His disciples’ feet and, ultimately, when He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for us all.
- How do you measure greatness?
- What motivates and demotivates you to serve in the parish?
- Are you willing to drink from the cup of suffering that Jesus drank from? Why or why not?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. “Make me a servant, humble and meek. Lord let me lift up those who are weak and may the prayer of my heart always be: Make me a servant, Make me a servant, Make me a servant today.” Amen.
Suggested Lenten penance: Serve someone today with love.
(Pietro)
