Ego Trap

~~~ Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 53:10-11 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ 

~~~ Hebrews 4:14-16 ~~~ Mark 10:35-45 ~~~

...the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Some of the apostles got a little carried away
with themselves when it came to Jesus and service.
James and John went too far with this request...

Teacher, we want you to do for us 
whatever we ask of you.

A servant may be at the beck and call of his master,
Jesus was taking the servant concept
much further.

There are not many servants who would be willing
 to give up their lives for their master.
That is exactly the kind of servant Jesus came to embrace.
Jesus was both servant and master...teacher.
Jesus came with wisdom and understanding far
beyond what the apostles could imagine.

James and John were confused.
Did they secretly want to be equal to Jesus?
Did they want to be a 'master'?
What kind of servant did they see in Jesus?

We can ask ourselves similar questions.
Sometimes our actions indicate that we
want to be equal with Jesus.

Perhaps we too have the desire to be seated on his side.
Perhaps we would like to have the recognition.

Jesus was both master and servant,
but he was dedicated to serving others.
His mission was to serve even unto his death on the cross.

I have only met a handful of people in my life
who truly have a servant heart and attitude.

We struggle with getting our egos out of the way.

Jame and John fell head first into the ego trap.
But they pretended to be disguised as servants of Jesus.

It is mostly our own egos that get us into trouble.
It is our ego that convinces us to things
 and say things before we think.

James and John were full of themselves.
They put a great value on the fact that they were with Jesus.
Their self confidence fueled by their ego  prevented
them from seeing Jesus as the servant and master.

Their egos caused problems among the other apostles.
Their egos caused the others to quarrel among themselves.
Who did James and John think they were
making such a request of Jesus.

Did they not all want to sit as his right and his left?

...through his suffering, my servant shall justify many...

James and John could not grasp the full understanding
 of the suffering Jesus was going to endure.

No mere human being could have endured
the suffering Jesus endured.

While he was fully human;
his heavenly father made it possible
through their intimate relationship
for Jesus to conquer death itself.

There was no other human who could have
accomplished such a mission.

Blessed to among the servants of the Lord.
May you too serve rather than be served...
this is the way of the Lord.

~~~Peace~~~

Mountain Climbing

~~~ Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord ~~~

~~~ Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 ~~~ Psalm 97 ~~~ 

~~~2 Peter 1:16-19 ~~~ Mark 9:2-10 ~~~

Jesus took Peter, James, and John on a mountain climbing excursion.

These three did not have a clue the surprise they were in for.

It was the belief then that going to a high place,

such as a mountain top, you would be closer to God.

God resided high in the mountains.

The mountain top was holy, apart from daily life.

The mountain top is where you go to commune with God.

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,

and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.

As they climbed this mountain together;

I wonder what questions they might have held inside.

Where were they going?

Why were they going into the mountains?

Why only the three of them and not the others?

They were soon to see a sight that they could have never imagined.

They knew of the encounters Moses' had had with 

God on the mountain top.

They even knew of the clouds that hugged the mountain top.

When Jesus transformed into his glory right before their eyes;

it was no wonder that they fell to the ground in fear.

They were witnessing the brightness of Jesus' glory

as well as the vision of Moses and Elijah.

They were seeing dead people while seeing the 

body of Jesus radiate a dazzling light.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 

from the cloud came a voice, 

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

In the midst of this miraculous vision

 the voice of God speaks from a cloud.

It was not unusual for God to be in the clouds.

But it was unusual for God to speak of his son, Jesus,

with such tender affectionate words.

As has been written here in the past entries...

Jesus is called God's Beloved only one other time in the Bible,

after his baptism in the river water.

The Transfiguration filled every fiber of the mind, 

body, and soul of Peter, James, and John that day.

We to often long for a mountain top experience.

When we do get a taste we do not want it to end.

We look for ways to hold on to the experience...through writing, 

poetry, music, or expressions of art.

Peter chose to give us in writing his first hand account of his experience.

He did not just stumble onto this mountain top,

Jesus led him and the others.

They were led by Jesus...

just as today Jesus leads us too.

The mountain journey is rocky and steep,

but the reward of finding God there is immense.

Take the time to make the journey

Blessings wait there for you to arrive.

God calls you his Beloved too. 

~~~ Peace~~~

Samson...John...Jesus...

~~~ Judges 13:2-7, 24-25A ~~~ Psalm 71 ~~~ Luke 1:5-25 ~~~   

Samson and John...
Both born of barren parents...
Both visited by an angel of the Lord.

Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard... 

When you want something as much as these
 two couples wanted to have a child
each passing day increases the tension.

It would have been understandable
for them to have gotten very frustrated.

God senses their feeling of loss.
Of course when the angel appears to deliver the good news
of their conception they react with fear.

Fear masks joy and smothers happiness.
The angel quickly wipes away their anxieties with
words of answered prayers.
We all want to hear words of answered prayers.

The angel visited Samson's mother giving
 her the glad tidings of her pregnancy.

With John's parents the angel came to his father, Zechariah.

Zechariah spent much of his time inside the temple,
his job was to keep the incense burning.
...he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.  

Chosen to enter the sanctuary...a great honor...
but to remain childless was an equally great disappointment.
Two barren wives loved by their husbands
with or without a child.

Samson... 
...grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.

When the time is right God comes into our life
 and works miracles beyond our imagination.

Two couples blessed just when they
 had reason to believe their age was against them.

Be not afraid your prayer has been answered.
Blessings overcoming all fears.
~~~Peace~~~

...Wonderful in Our Eyes...

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 4:1-12 ~~~ Psalm 118 ~~~ John 21:1-14 ~~~

...it is wonderful in our eyes...

They apostles were on fire with their belief in Jesus.

The apostles were not intimidated by the elders,
acting as judge and jury.

“By what power or by what name have you done this?”

Even though the leaders, elders, and scribes assembled together
 in Jerusalem could not comprehend
what was happening with Peter and John.
They did not want to have their minds opened.
Were they afraid that maybe they had been wrong?
Did they realize killing Jesus was not enough
 to halt the power of his message?

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.

When Jesus appears to the disciples on the beach.
He meets them in their comfort zone.
They were fishermen. He had been in their boats.
He had been on the edge of the water with them many times before.

This day would be unlike any other day they had
previously experienced as fishermen.

The catch that day nearly ruptured their nets.
They could hardly haul the fish onto the beach.

Jesus showed the disciples,
to follow his directions one more time was worthwhile.
When things seem to be impossible
Jesus steps in and surprises us.
Sometimes he asks us to perform the identical
task we have done many times before.

For fishermen, the greater the catch the more jubilant
will be their response.

...it is wonderful in our eyes...

Peter and John gave all of the glory to God.
They went about healing and curing all in the name of the Lord.
They did not try to take personal credit.
Jesus appears to bestow his abundant Blessings.
Peace.

The 'Voice'

~~~~ 1 John 2:22-28 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:19-28 ~~~

I am the voice... 

Today we actually have an American reality program,

 a singing competition, on NBC. 

The concept, as you may know, is to find new singing talent.

The winner is determined by the viewers votes.

The winner walks away with a substantial check and a recording contract.

John is not in a competition for his ability to sing.

John is quoting the Old Testament prophet, 

Isaiah when he answers the question.

The officials sent from Jerusalem wanted to know

if what they had heard about him was true.

How is it that a person could claim to be nothing but a 'voice'?

A voice is not something concrete

 and definitely not tangible although unique.

Many people can be identified by their 'voice'.

I have written here in the past about each of us having 

a distinct sound to our voice.

John is not speaking of the sound of his own voice.

He is speaking on behalf of the Messiah.

John does not want to confused with the Messiah.

He is not speaking under false pretenses.

He knows why he has been given his 'voice'.

He is to testify for the coming of the Messiah.

A witness in a court of trial often has 'eye' witnesses.

These people come and speak from their point of truth.

Another person may come and testify to the character of the accused.

This person speaks as the 'voice' of the defendant.

Jesus was being accused of many things, not to mention

claiming to be the Messiah.

John was sent ahead to prepare the way, but he met

with local resistance more often than not.

John never made any claims on his own behalf.

John was sent to do the work of the God.

He baptized with water in the name of the Father.

Preparation for any event includes cleaning up in advance.

The water image was one of cleansing.

The main event was the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

...one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

John was only the 'voice'...

the real person of Jesus was to follow his announcements.

The 'voice' was heard in the distance

 announcing the arrival of someone important in this case 

the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah.

John was the announcer...he was the opening act...

he warmed up the crowd...

He served his purpose and fulfilled his role well.

We are also blessed to be the 'voice' of Jesus to others.

We are invited to speak of the peace of Christ 

to those we meet along the way.

Do not be shy...speak out...

humbly giving all the credit to Our Lord.

We have seen the saving power of God...rejoice and be glad.

The Real Reward

~~~ Sirach 36:1, 4-5a, 10-17 ~~~ Psalm 79 ~~~ Mark10:32-45 ~~~

 

Reward those who have hoped in you,
and let your prophets be proved true.

 

Jesus is sharing with his apostles the future things that will happen to him.

As they listened intently, James and John seemed

 disconnected from the gravity of his words.

 

They were more concerned with having their wishes heard and met by Jesus.

If they were amazed they were more

 interested in looking out for themselves.

 

‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

 

 

They were looking for their reward for being two of his followers.

It usually does not work well to try and bargain with God.

Yes, Jesus may have needed them as his followers, but

he did not 'need' these two men.

 

Sometimes when we are faced with a tragedy, such as a terrible accident or death,

our brain gets confused. We may even laugh even though it is not appropriate.

I have experienced this first hand in the workplace.

 

Maybe these two apostles were so overwhelmed

 with all that Jesus was telling them that

they reacted inappropriately without intending to.

Maybe they really did not know how they should react.
So theses words just came tumbling out of their mouths.

Have you ever said something only to later regret having said it?
I have. Our initial reaction is often not the best reaction.

Clearly they were looking for their reward while the others... 

They were amazed,
those who followed were afraid.

When we are fully present to what Jesus told the apostles that day;
being afraid would have been a normal reaction.

...condemn him to death...
...will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise.”

We are the Resurrection peoples.
We know that after three days Jesus was indeed raised from the dead.
Today we have no reason to be afraid.

We have every reason to be joyful.
The real reward comes in the serving of others,
just as Jesus modeled for us.
The ultimate reward is everlasting life in heaven.

Blessings are all around you.

The Beloved Speaks

~~~ 1 John 1:1-4 ~~~ Psalm 97 ~~~ John 20:1a, 2-8 ~~~

 

John is almost giddy with eagerness to share

what he has seen with his own eyes

and heard with his own ears.

 

'...for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life...'

 

Just two days after celebrating the Nativity we are at the empty tomb

with those who loved Jesus the most.

The reality that life and death are connected is here before our eyes.

 

Why are we at the empty tomb?

Because our faith is based on the Resurrection of Jesus.

His birth was necessary for him to complete the Father's will...

to be raised from the dead.

 

The birth of Jesus set into motion the breaking of the chains of death.

Without the birth the Resurrection could not have taken place.

 

It is beautiful that we have the writings of John this week;

he was Jesus' beloved friend.

He loved Jesus very much but when he reached the tomb

that morning he could not make himself go inside.

For a moment the reality of the death of his friend paralyzed him.

 

It took fearless Peter to actually enter into the tomb.

It was Peter who saw the burial cloths folded neatly

inside the tomb.

More importantly it was the cloth placed upon the face of Jesus

that they discovered neatly folded.

 

A grave robber would not have taken the time

to tidy the burial cloths.

 

The folded napkin is very significant in the Hebrew culture.

Having been raised as a faithful Jew, Jesus would have known

the meaning of the folded napkin.

Using this tradition Jesus symbolically represents his completion

of the Father's will by folding this cloth that had covered his face.

His true Divine identity was now being revealed.

 

Traditionally the folded napkin signaled to the servant

that the master was not finished

and planned to return to the table.

The servant would not begin to clear the table

as long as the napkin was left folded.

 

Jesus, by folding this cloth, was indicating to his friends that he was

coming back. This is what his Resurrection was about...his return.

The folded cloth signified that Jesus was in control

of death giving us the gift of eternal life.

 

Jesus allowed himself to be born tiny and fragile....helpless.

He allowed himself to be nailed to the cross...helpless.

Now the emptiness of the tomb and the folded facial cloth,

declares that he will no longer be

under the control of others.

 

 

Jesus is the Victor over Death.

 

John was filled with such immense joy.

He had to write down all that he had witnessed;

thus preserving these great events for future generations of believers.

For when we read these glorious accounts

we are encouraged in our beliefs...

our faith is reinforced.

Our Redemption Journey has begun!

To Serve with Love

~~~ 1 Peter 1:18-25 ~~~ Psalm 14 ~~~ Mark 10: 32-45 ~~~

"...the word of the Lord remains forever."

"...love one another intensely from a pure heart."

Through the death and Resurrection of Jesus,

 we have come to place our faith and hope in God.

The tenth chapter of Mark continues to reveal to us just how naive and human the apostles were. They mirror who we are in many ways.

You tend to have unreasonable expectations when you do not have all of the facts or you simply do not understand.

James and John were so eager to be close to the Lord. They mistakenly believed that they were capable of more than they could have imagined.

Jesus wisely response to them, "You do not know what you are asking."

Jesus was reflecting at a much deeper level than James and John could understand.

They did not grasp that Jesus was acting on behalf of the Father.

Jesus offers them an analogy they could understand; that of the authority of a ruler who is controlling over all.

Instead Jesus flips this pyramid of power upside down.

"For the Son of Man did not come to be served

but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many."

Jesus came to serve. He made this very clear at the Last Supper when he knelt at the feet of each of his apostles and washed their feet.

Can you imagine Jesus kneeling at your feet today?

It is difficult to even let your imagination place you in such a scene.

We are surrounded with those who have a servant's heart every day. They are in our families, our churches, our hospitals, our homeless shelters, our crisis call centers, our military, our schools, in our restaurants. And I am sure you could continue the list with many more examples. In order to serve you need to put the needs of others above your own needs.

While we may never be able to simulate the great service of our Lord we can serve with a pure heart. We can serve out of love and not expect recognition for our service.

We are all called to serve in one way or another.

Today I invite you to take a look at how you serve.

I invite you to examine how your service is aligned

with the call to serve from Jesus.

Only you can answer the question of 'why' you serve.

"...the word of the Lord remains forever."

Service from the heart is love.