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~~~

A Teachable Moment

~~~ Jeremiah 18:18-20 ~~~ Psalm 31 ~~~ Matthew 20:17-28 ~~~

In the middle of Jesus giving his monologue

 revealing his passion and death,

a well-meaning mother approaches

him with requests for her sons. 

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,

he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,

A monologue and a soliloquy are similar but very different. 

A Soliloquy is an utterance or discourse by a person

 who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of 

or oblivious to any listeners present.

Jesus delivers his words as a monologue,

he is directing his words to his disciples walking with him.

Jesus knew who was listening to his telling words.

The woman approaches Jesus as if she has not heard 

one word he just spoke aloud.

This mother sought honor and glory for her two sons

with no regard for the words Jesus had just spoken.
She was a strong Jewish mother.

Did this mother really believe that her sons 

could be seated on either side of Jesus

 without suffering right along with him?

Jesus was not talking to himself, as in a soliloquy.

Jesus was speaking aloud to his disciples

 to prepare them for what was coming.

Was he trying to scare them?

Was he  giving them the chance to back away?

Was he testing their loyalty?

Was he drawing on their compassion and love for him?

...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.

Jesus uses this mother's request as a teachable moment.

His disciples loved Jesus there is no question about that,

but maybe they too were quarreling among themselves.

Did Jesus have a favorite?

Was there jealousy among these twelve ordinary men?

Did they trust one another?

Did they fear rejection by one another?

Jesus had just shared with them a very intense future.

A future filled with pain, suffering, true horror.

In the secrecy of their own hearts 

they had to admit relief at not being asked

 to make the same crucial journey.

The mother of  the sons Zebedee did not know

 what she was asking when she made her request known to Jesus.

She did not yet understand that Jesus came to surrender

 his life by dying on the cross for all.

Blessed with personal teachable moments

 offered out of love.

~~Peace~~~

The Heart of a Servant

~~~ Saint Martin of Tours ~~~

~~~ Titus 2:1-8, 11-14 ~~~ Psalm 37 ~~~ Luke 17:7-10 ~~~

Trust in the LORD and do good,

that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.

As servants of the Lord we tend to the needs of his people.

A servant is attentive, caring, consistently serving the needs of others.

As servants we pour water, serve food, and even wash feet.

As servants we do what is required by the one we serve.

We are servants of the Lord.

We serve him with our heart, hands, and feet.

We serve him with our heart in loving what he loves.

We serve him with our hands in caring for those in need.

We serve him with our feet as we go out to his loved ones.

Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

Young Samuel's response must also be ours.

Mary even proclaims herself to be a servant of the Lord.

To be a servant of the Lord means to surrender your will to his will.

If you are to be a servant of the Lord then 

your mindset must be that of his.

You must be of one spirit as often as possible.

A good and true servant does not question.

A good servant does not disobey.

A good servant is obedient to the master...our Lord.

The master cares for and protects a loyal servant.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will grant you your heart’s requests.

The master carefully chooses his servants.

A servant puts the desires of the master above all else.

What are the desires of God for you?

How will you fulfill these desires?

A servant lives in the house of the Lord.

The closer the servant the better he/she is to serve the master.

A servant waits upon the master...

waiting patiently to be summoned by the master.

A wise servant teaches others what it means

 to serve the master well.

A servant's heart is filled with peace and purpose.

The place for the Lord's servant is by his side.

A servant fades into the background while always making

the master look better and better.

A servant's heart can be old, worn, tattered, and torn;

committed to serving the Lord.

A servant's heart is like clay in the master's hands,

waiting to be formed into something pleasing.

At the end of my life I want to hear the words...

Well done, my good and faithful servant.

Don't you?

Blessings come to those with a servant's heart.

~~~Peace~~~

Keep the Mysteries Alive

~~~ 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 ~~~ Psalm 37 ~~~ Luke 5:33-39 ~~~

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ

and stewards of the mysteries of God. 

Servant...a person who performs duties for others...
a devoted and helpful follower or supporter.
We are servants because Jesus himself came to serve.
He modeled for us exactly what it means to have a servant's heart.
He tells us I come to serve not to be served.
(Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45)

We serve Christ by caring for the poor, the meek, the humble...
those who have no one to speak on their behalf.
We are servants of Christ when we reach out to the marginalized.

Steward...someone who protects or is responsible...

As stewards we are to preserve and protect the Gospel message of love.
As stewards we are to support and maintain
what has been passed down to us in tact.
We must guard the whole message
not just the parts that feel good.

 ...it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.

When you are given charge over something that is precious
 and valuable you must be of strong character.
One of the highly treasured qualities is trustworthiness.
If you cannot be trusted how can you be put over the mysteries of God?
In order for mysteries to exist there must be trust.

What an awesome responsibility to be given charge over a mystery.

A mystery, something that we cannot understand or even really explain.
How does one care for a mystery?
Saint Paul carefully preserved the mysteries of God.
He passed it on to others.
He held the mystery in a special place in his own heart.
He went about preaching and teaching with passion.
And many came to believe, because Paul was trustworthy.
He was not seeking his own glory.
He was working for the Lord.

You cannot care for something or someone very well
 if you do not also love.
Serving comes out of loving.

Serving also comes out of duty.

A good steward must trust as much if not more than they love.

We are Blessed to also servant and steward
of the mysteries of God.
We do not understand. we cannot see,
but we spread the good news.
We keep the mysteries of God alive.
~~~Peace~~~

Who Gets the Credit?

~~~ Ezekiel 43:1-7AB ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Matthew 23:1-12 ~~~

All their works are performed to be seen.

This is a trap so many of us fall into before we even realize it.

We endlessly fret over what others think 

about what we do or fail to do.

We are too often impressed by the works 

we observe others performing.

We ask ourselves, 'what does this look like to my

 family, friends, or neighbors?'

Jesus was warning the Scribes and the Pharisees
that their intentions for following
 the letter of the law were filled with pride.
They wanted to be noticed for all of the right correct things they did
 not for how much they loved God.
It is a temptation for all of us to find ourselves in a similar position.
We normally do not want to be criticized by those
 in authority or by our peers.
Criticism and instruction are very different;
 the approaches are therefore not received the same.

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.

....you have but one Father in heaven.

....you have but one master, the Christ.

The greatest among you must be your servant.

Whether we are a teacher, a parent, or a minister;
we must give all credit for any good we accomplish to God. 

It is through the gifts given to us from God that we are able to be successful.
If we find that we can lead others to love the Lord
it is not to our personal credit, but we must give the credit to God.

The rabbi was honored as the teacher of the word and laws of God.
A teacher has the responsibility to share knowledge of various subjects.
If one is to become a teacher of spiritual things
 one first must acknowledge that God
is to be given the proper credit.

It is the Holy Spirit that gives us wisdom, knowledge,
and understanding of things to do with holiness.

It is the power of the Holy Spirit.
We ourselves cannot take credit, for without the Lord
 we could not come to a deeper understanding.

Whether we are teacher, priest, or parent we are servants of the Lord.
It is our duty to be representatives of Jesus to others.
We must constantly remind ourselves that all
that we do must be for the honor and glory of God,
not for our own edification.

The only credit that we might take would be in knowing
 that we have allowed God to use us for his purpose.

This is a personal understanding to held close to ones own heart.
It is not something that you go around telling others.

If you are truly a servant to those around you it will
become evident to them that you are
letting God's presence increase while you decrease.

We receive more Blessings
 if we ask the Lord to teach us his ways.

~~~Peace~~~

Servant of the Poor

~~~ James 4:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 55 ~~~ Mark 9:30-37 ~~~

We must make the daily commitment
to submit ourselves to God,
because it is not easy.
Submitting oneself to God is the only real gift
we can give back to him.
Total giving of our will in submission to his will.
We pray this in the Our Father,
but do we really consider the impact
of 'thy will be done'?
We cannot squirm out of the full meaning of those words.
So submit yourselves to God.

Submitting your will to God's does not render you helpless.
The opposite is closer to the truth.
It takes great courage and trust to submit to God.
Just as the lambs submit to the shepherd,
because some how they know it is the best thing to do.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Psalm 55 today reminds us to give all of concerns to God
for he alone is the one who can make all things better.

When we remain close to the Lord
we come to believe that he is always beside us.

Humble yourselves before the Lord

and he will exalt you.

If you can believe with all of your heart that God cares for you,
then emptying yourself before him will give you peace.

In the end he will raise you to be with him in heaven.

“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” 

Jesus humbled himself giving up his rightful place
in heaven to come down to live with us.
He came down to live among us.

He took on all of our human frailty, with the exception of sin.
He, the creator, took part in our human existence.
There is no greater act of humility
 than for God to become flesh and blood.
He completely embraced our physical wants and needs.
He had to have food, he had to have water to drink,
he became tired at times and needed to rest.
He had a family, friends, and personal relationships just like us.

Jesus blessed us with his presence among us;
not as a King
but rather as a servant.
How can we consider ourselves
 to be more deserving then our Lord?
Peace.

God's Glory...Beyond Brilliance

~~~ Ez 43: 1-7ab ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Matthew 23: 1-12 ~~~

 

The glory of the Lord shines brighter than we can comprehend.

The glory of the Lord encompasses with a vastness we have never seen.

"...the earth shone with his glory..."

 

The glory of the Lord flows freely across the land.

The glory of the Lord travels encountering no obstacles.

 

The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.

 

There is only one Lord who can radiate such glory.

There is only one Father...

There is only one Rabbi...

There is only one Teacher...

There is only one Master...

 

We may be impressed by what we hear from those would be teachers.

We may be fooled by their majestic garments, and pompous demeanors,

but there is only One who's presence is seen as visible light.

A light so bright that we must have a unique word

just to describe its brilliance...

GLORY

 

The impostors among us love places of honor at banquets

"All their works are performed to be seen."

 

Even in their synagogues they relish at being seated in places of honor

where all present see that they are important and influential.

As we have come to understand Jesus

turns everything upside down

with his lessons.

They are foreign to what has been the norm before his coming.

Jesus claims that those who are truly great will be dressed to impress others.

Jesus instead says to be truly great you must be a servant to others.

 

"...The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

 

I can just imagine how offended and resentful the

'masters'...'rabbis'...and 'teachers' must have been

when presented with this concept.

Jesus cautions his followers to not imitate the actions of these

mislead leaders.

They are filled with their own ego.

When your ego supercedes everything else you cannot

be about the work of the Lord.

 

We must all be humbled before the glory of the Lord.

To witness the glory of the Lord will truly cause us to be struck with

such wonder and awe that we

will collapse to the ground in its presence.

 

We will know without a doubt that this glory is coming from the Lord.

For not even the light from the sun will compare to this

divine glory.

The glory from the Lord will not be a hot fiery glory.

The glory of the Lord will be one of powerful overwhelming Love.

There will be no question that it is coming not only from the Lord,

but with the his presence.

 

 

When the glory of the Lord is revealed

it will be capable of scooping us up to become one with it.

Of course this is pure speculation on my part so you may have

a different point of view, which is fine as well.

 

Help me, Lord, to be ready to receive your glory

when it is revealed to me.

Perhaps at the hour of our death the light so many people

claim to see is only a tiny speck of the full spectrum of God's glory.

The Humble Servant, Joseph

~~~ Sam.7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16, ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Rom. 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ Matt.1:16, 18-21, 24a ~~~

In the bosom of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written...
Today is the feast of St. Joseph. He, as was Mary, was chosen by God to be entrusted with the care of the child Jesus. Joseph must have had a deep faith.

He responded to the advice of God in a dream where an angel speaks to him. He was a man of great honor, for he did not want to embarrass Mary because of her unwed pregnancy. Joseph trusted that God the Father would guide him and lead him in the care of both Mary and the child, Jesus.

Joseph led this Holy Family by surrendering to the will of God. For these were not the plans he had envisioned for his life. There was no way he could have had any idea of what he would be called to do. Joseph was able to lead the family to safety and to provide for them as a humble servant of God. He was obedient to God at every venture in his life.

I feel sure that Joseph came to love and care for Mary. He was charged with the protection of both Mary and Jesus from those wanting to harm him from his birth. As Jesus grew older Joseph would spend time with him teaching him how to be a model Jewish boy. Jesus was likely taught much about the writings of the prophets by Joseph.
Jesus would have called Joseph dad or father at least until he was lost in the temple.

That is the last time anything is recorded in scripture about Joseph. Sadly we have very little given to us through scripture concerning Joseph. Most likely he did come from a very devout holy family. A family that believed in the word of God. A family that accepted mysteries without question. God would not have chosen someone for this important roll in the life of Jesus who was not holy.

I wonder why we do not have any accounts of Jesus using carpentry stories in any of his parables? He was a very good story teller; it was easy to identify with his life examples and the various situations in people's lives.

Saint Joseph shows us how to be supportive yet humble in our service to God.
We can step back and still be in an important roll.