Homily for Sunday 23rd September 2018
_“And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’” *(Mark 9:35)*_
Last Sunday, we read the account of how Jesus rebuked Peter calling him satan because Peter, holding a false theology tried to discourage Jesus from following the path of suffering. One would assume that the twelve apostles of Jesus were shocked that Jesus could say such a thing to Peter, that they would begin to see some positive value in suffering and that they would be touched by Jesus’ statement: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34.
Today’s Gospel passage surprises us with the fact that the twelve apostles did not really learn anything from last Sunday’s episode. When Jesus was saying the “Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him…” it only fell on deaf ears. In fact, just as politicians begin to jostle for positions when elections are approaching, the twelve apostles were already beginning to jostle for strategic positions when Jesus takes over power as the New President of Israel. If Jesus had not intervened, this argument among the Apostles would have resulted in a big fight as St. James points out in our second reading.
What do we learn from the behaviour of the twelve apostles in today’s Gospel passage? Is there anything wrong with aiming for greatness and how are we to go about it? These questions bring us to our lessons for today
*Lesson One: The Desire for Greatness is in our Nature as Humans.*
The shocker in today’s liturgy is that the very men Jesus used in beginning the Christian Faith were not only slow in learning but despite their closeness to Jesus remained power-conscious. This shows that the desire for greatness is wired into the very core of our being. Psychologists agree that the deepest human need is RESPECT which is another word for greatness. Whether we like it or not, we all long to be number one; we are all politicians by nature. The difference between a Christian and the unbeliever is how each chooses to pursue greatness.
*Lesson Two: Service and Humility: Jesus’ Formula for Achieving Greatness.*
It is interesting to note that Jesus was not disappointed with the twelve apostles because they were arguing about who is the greatest. His disappointment with them was with the criteria for judging greatness. The twelve understood greatness from the perspective of ruling over others and being served by people just like the Roman officials who rode on horses and had countless servants running after them to do their wishes. Like these twelve Apostles, is this also my definition of greatness?
Jesus brought a child in the midst of the Apostles and said: “if anyone wishes to be first (great), he must be last of all and servant of all” meaning to say: It is okay to be great but true greatness lies in being the servant rather than the boss; true greatness is making oneself the least and the smallest of all. In Matthew’s version of this very passage, Jesus says: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4. Show me a man who is childlike; a man who makes people feel greater than himself and I will show you a really great man.
*Lesson Three: True Greatness is Wisdom from Above.*
By asking us to turn and become like children in other to fulfil our innate desire for greatness, Jesus was actually teaching us the very opposite of what the world teaches us about greatness. This is why St. James refers to it as wisdom from above; it is wisdom that does not align with the thinking of the world yet this wisdom is the solution to the quest for world peace! Imagine a world where everyone is struggling to serve others rather than be served. Imagine a world where everyone competes to make each other better. Would we still experience assassinations, fighting and killing?
According to St. James, the origin of fights, wars, bitterness, quarrels and unanswered prayers is the insatiable quest for the satisfaction of our bodily passions and the desire to lord it over others. In other words, God does not answer our prayer if such prayers are said out of a desire to outshine and outsmart others. Operating with wisdom from above entails that in our deeds and prayers, we place priority on purity, peace, gentleness, mercy and honesty. Show me a man who prays and works for others to be better than himself and I will show you a really great man.
*Lesson Four: True Greatness is Being Calm in the Face of Persecution.*
By operating with wisdom from above, by placing service of others over the desire to serve others, by being childlike, by working for peace rather than war, the world soon starts to see us as weak, useless and a hindrance. This explains why Jesus did not live long on earth and why we should expect persecution in our attempts to be like Jesus. True greatness is the courage to reproach people for their sinfulness not with words but simply by doing the right thing.
Our first reading today explains that the acts of violence and hatred we face from the worldly-minded are done to test the authenticity of our convictions. We only become victorious when we remain calm and steadfast despite the provocations. Show me a man who will turn the other cheek, a man who will continue doing right and refrain from returning an insult with insult and I will show you a really great man.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus help me follow your guide to greatness. Amen.
Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (25th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Year B. Bible Study: Wisdom 2:12-20, Psalm 54:3-8, James 3:16-4:3 and Mark 9:30-37)
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