Gospel: Mark 10:35–45
God as Servant
1. Service
“Service in the Church is a gift, not an employment contract,” says Pope Francis. These words are addressed to each of us. They emphasize that the opportunity to serve others is not an obligation, but a gift for which God is to be thanked.
2. Keywords
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.
Christ does not deny the need for power, positions, and offices. He emphasizes that the Christian who holds an office should do so out of love, remembering that his authority is a gift from God.
Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
Jesus gave the apostles a clear indication of what their leadership of the Church should be like. This is important for all of us. A man is truly great when he serves God and his neighbor. “A man is never greater than when he kneels before God,” St. John XXIII emphasized.
Worldly success or failure does not necessarily imply pride or humility: One can be a high-minded and humble person, but one can also be lowly but proud. The proud man becomes a slave to sin.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus himself was the Servant of the Lord announced in Isaiah; he set an example of perfect service, including washing the disciples' feet in the Upper Room. His greatness lies in the fact that He became a Servant. Every day He humbly waits for us in the tabernacle and on the altars throughout world.
Our Lady defined herself as the Handmaid of the Lord, and she teaches us to serve God and man, including through the concrete help shown to Elizabeth.
3. Today
Where do I see my greatness? In the opinion of others, in the number of likes on Facebook or Instagram, shares on Twitter, or in the possibility to serve God and others?
