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~~~

Surrender Your Spirit to God

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

The theme of humility continues to resonate in the readings for today.

'...Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,to turn away your wrath from them...'

Jeremiah has had a pretty rough life...

He remains faithful to God in spite of what happens to him.

He is speaking to God here, but

he is also affirming for himself that he interceded 

before God on the behalf of others.

He was not thinking about himself with the exclusion of the others.

Humility...relying on God...thinking of others more than yourself.

Jeremiah is in the right place, but things have not gone 

as he would have expected.

Psalm 31 continues with pleas to God for freedom.

The psalmist surrenders himself completely into the hands of God.

'...Into your hands I commend my spirit...'

Humility calls us to a type of dying...the dying of the false self.

The true self knows that our mere existence is because of the love of God.

The death of the false self should precede the death of the physical body.

Striving toward a greater humility brings us ever closer to Our Lord.

Is this not the highest goal of our existence here on earth;

to get closer to God?

'...my trust is in you, O LORD...'

In the gospel we see the proud mother trying to make a special place for her sons.

She may be filled with great love for her sons, but she does not

understand the importance of humility in this case.

Jesus himself exhibits his humility before the Father....

'...to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give...'

He reminds her of how the rulers have treated the Gentiles...

how they did not rule with justice and compassion.

...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.”

Jesus came to serve not to be served...

this is what humility is all about;

doing the will of the Father.

Only God can chose who will sit to his right and left.

He is looking for his humble servants.

Those who believe they have come to do his will.

There is no other God.

Even a loving mother's wishes for her sons cannot 

replace the Father's will.

Be content that you are exactly where God intends for you to be;

right now in this very moment in time.

You are loved.