Good morning. In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares with his disciple the third prediction of his coming Passion. Let us take a moment to reflect back on what happened after Jesus predicted his Passion the first two times.
After the first prediction of his coming Passion, Jesus summoned his disciples and said to them: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. . . Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34-38). Here, we gain an insight into the virtue of FAITH. Jesus teaches: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:3). Faith is our response to God’s revelation, which requires us to empty ourselves so that God can fill us with His living Word that leads to eternal life. Only then, can we truly profess our faith as Peter did when he boldly proclaimed to Jesus: “You are the Messiah.”
Then, after the second prediction of his coming Passion, Jesus called the Twelve and said to them: “‘If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.’ Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me’” (Mark 9:30-37). A child is filled with the virtue of HOPE not because they do not know any better but because they have absolute faith and trust in their parents. Jesus teaches: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land” and “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:5, 9). A child receives love and gives love. They are a “servant to all” in the sense that their hearts are so pure and innocent that they are willing to help with anything. I am sure we have all heard a child say, “I can help with that!” or “I can do that!” Jesus reminds us to have a childlike faith and dependency on God.
This brings us to today’s Gospel and Jesus’ prediction of his coming Passion, after which Christ summoned the disciples and said to them: “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, 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 did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:32-45). Jesus teaches: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” and “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:7-8). Jesus is the servant leader par excellence because he does not lord or make his authority felt over us. Rather, Christ comes to us with the heart of a Suffering Servant who dies on the Cross, giving his life as ransom for us because God is LOVE.
Finally, in today’s first reading, we hear Saint Peter tells us to live the virtues of faith, hope, and love in our lives, saying: “Realize that you were ransomed. . . with the precious Blood of Christ. . so that your faith and hope are in God. . . love one another intensely from a pure heart. . . the word of the Lord remains forever.”
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Gospel
The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
"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 who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise."
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"
They answered him,
"Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
They said to him, "We can."
Jesus said to them, "The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared."
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, 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 did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
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