(I found the above video on a "you tube" search. Although it is for a Thai Insurance company
apparently, it makes a very beautiful point about this weekends readings. Imagine adding this call
to that of our Christian faith.)
"Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant"
Mark 10: 35 - 45
Here’s a little Catholic trivia that may come in handy, well
you never know when. The familiar gesture of the genuflection, traditional
before the Blessed Sacrament in our Churches, has been a part of human culture
since at least the fourth century.
Alexander the Great imposed this requirement of court etiquette on anyone
who would enter before the emperor. They
would go down on one knee and usually remain there until told to stand. It was not only a sign of respect before a
higher authority but also a sign of submission on the part of the one engaged
in that posture. You were not to look directly at the Emperor but would need to
look down or indirectly face him.
Since at least the later Middle Ages this act of respect and
submission has become a part of our Catholic tradition. We by custom show the same sign of respect
and submission as we enter Church before the presence of Christ in the
tabernacle, normally as we enter our pew.
My Father, to his own embarrassment, once did this years ago in a movie theater! The similar gesture of a bow to Christ is essentially the same
meaning.
The point of this gesture, often done quickly, is a simple
illustration of our Gospel this Sunday.
We hear of servant leadership as the mark of a true Christian after the
example of Jesus himself.
While all this is a familiar theme for us tied directly to it
is that of suffering. That’s a link we
would rather whisper than proclaim loudly.
Jesus speaks openly and certainly not for the first time, of his approaching
passion and death. The sacrifice of
Christ on the cross was the link to the deeper meaning of Christian
service. Yet, it is clear that the
disciples did not comprehend the connection for them personally but rather remain tied to a more
earthly understanding of authority and power.
I would certainly rather be the Emperor than the servant. I would much rather see someone bow before me
than bow before them.
So, two brother disciples of Jesus, James and John, come before
Jesus, after he has spoken clearly of his impending physical suffering on the
cross, with a bold request. One could certainly understand the reaction of the
other ten who were outraged at their request: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and one at your
left.” So they ask for two positions of authority to rule with Jesus in his
“kingdom.” Brazen? Bold? It would seem so. Misguided and misunderstood? Possibly.
Selfish and dismissive of others?
Could be. But their desire for two important places of honor is not
that unusual considering the culture of the time. Honor was everything in this ancient culture.
What does Jesus do with them?
Well, he certainly does not react with anger or a put down as to their
misunderstanding of his mission. Rather,
he uses this moment as an opportunity to teach them and the others gathered the
deeper meaning of his mission and how they too will share in that, in
particular the meaning of sacrifice and suffering for a higher good. But even more, what it truly means to follow
his example of leadership and authority.
In light of James and John’s apparent ambition, our Lord
explains: “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 (Messiah) did not come to be served but to
serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We can only imagine the
changed expression on the face of the two misguided disciples and the reaction
of the twelve as a whole. This was not the prevailing opinion of the coming savior of the chosen people.
In ancient culture, with its clear divisions between the powerful
and the poor; influential and lowly; Jew and gentile; men and women; leaders
and servants and slaves these words of Jesus must have had an initial dousing
affect. Like water thrown on the fires
of ambition his words of submission and slavery could not have been more imposing.
They have made great sacrifices to follow him now he says they must put aside
hopes of reward and submit, genuflect as it were, to the lowest. Service to the lowly is the mark of a
Christian disciple. He emphasized this at the last supper as he washed their
feet in the action of a slave and further expanded its meaning ultimately on
the cross and in the sharing of the Eucharist.
Let’s ponder that for a bit . . . in Christ Jesus, God went below the
lowest to raise us up with him.
The first reading from Isaiah the prophet, 600 years before the
coming of Christ, uses words like: “crush,” “afflicted,” “suffering” to
describe this servant of God. We hear
this reading on Good Friday so the Christian community has seen in it a
foreshadow of Jesus’ own suffering in this great prophet of Israel. But, it is not suffering without merit for it
has a quality of expiation – of salvation and freedom given to it; a freedom
for us and not for the personal benefit of the one who suffers. This suffering
is something taken on for the sake of another and to free humanity from the power of death, the result of sin, can only be explained by
one great word – Love. In the end God loves us not because of what we have done but because of who he is.
Today’s world of rampant individualism; of seeking what is best
for me and my own advancement and position and this age of subjective morality
which acknowledges no absolute truth for the common good of all and sees power and influence as a sign of authority needs to hear this lesson. This Christian alternative way of viewing life and its purpose is essential. While there is nothing wrong with a desire to
advance in one’s career and to seek respect from others to do so as a measure
of earthly success is to miss the mark.
For a Christian to add the deeper counter cultural dimension of
leadership by example is essential. We
have academic and professional degrees.
We’ve worked hard and achieved a certain level of responsibility but the
danger of that is to think that all depends on us alone.
To step down from ones higher position in service of others who
are lowly is not only to lead by example but also to serve Christ, as he has
served us, in the least and the suffering. To seek the greater good of another is true love. True Christian authority is recognized in those who serve the least and
are willing to sacrifice for the sake of another. This serves not only the Church well but society
as a whole. Stark examples such as St.
Teresa of Calcutta impress upon us an image of taking it all the way. Can’t we,
in our own place and state of life, take at least a portion of this? The Church would does well when it is served by leaders who see this ideal as a personal call to them as well.
You may not need to look very far: your marriage and family, your place of work,
your neighbors and friends; your parish community and wherever we may see an
opportunity to serve and not be served in the name of Jesus. Our Catholic faith is not a private or personal devotion but a call to live as Christ Jesus and after his example for others. We then become the food we consume at the Eucharist.
For you have given us Jesus Christ, your Son,
as our Lord and Redeemer.
He always showed compassion
for children and the poor,
for the sick and the sinners,
and he became a neighbor
to the oppressed and the afflicted.
(From Preface of Eucharistic Prayer IV for Various needs)
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