29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); October 20, 2024

Is 53:10-11.  Ps 33.  Heb 9:14-16.  Mk 10:35-45

Deacon Jim McFadden

            The Gospel for today’s Holy Mass (Mk 10:35-45) narrates that two disciples, James and John, ask the Lord to one day sit beside him in glory as if they were key figures of his enterprise, sort of like heavenly “prime ministers” of the Kingdom of God.  When the other apostles got wind of what transpired, they were really ticked off because they probably wanted the same privilege!   At that point, rather than rolling his eyes at their self-promotion, Jesus patiently offers them a great teaching that goes right to the heart of Who He is and what His ministry is about.  For Jesus, true glory is not obtained by rising above others—I’m up and your down—but by experiencing the same baptism He would soon receive in Jerusalem, that is, the Cross.  What does that mean.  What’s the connection of baptism and the Cross?

            The term ‘baptism’ means immersion.  Through his Passion, Jesus immersed Himself in our sin which leads to death.  As St. Paul teaches us, “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not  know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21).  So, Jesus immersed himself into death, offering his life to save us.  Therefore, the glory of God is not lording it over others or being on top, but rather it is to love others that is conveyed in service, not domination. Jesus drives home the point by saying to his disciples and us as well that “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Mk 10:43).  In other words, if you want to become great in the Kingdom of God, you’ve got to take the path of service, which means you pour out your life for the good of others.

            Wow, what we are encountering in this narrative is a basic choice: is Life about Jesus or abut me?    In front of us there are two different logics at work: the disciples want to rise up and Jesus wants to immerse Himself.  By wanting to “rise up,” the disciples are into Self-promotion, even if it meant using the Lord Jesus for their own advancement.  This is a perennial struggle: if my life is about me,  then I will experience everything, including my relationships, from the perspective of my Ego-drama in which I feed my ambitions as I climb the latter of success, to reach high status and privilege.  The quest for personal prestige can seep into our religious and spiritual life as well as we do the right thing but for the wrong reason: namely, we only seek ourselves and our affirmations, that is, of getting ahead, of climbing up.   As we live our Catholic faith, we should always evaluate our heart’s real intention, asking ourselves: “Why am I doing this work, taking on this responsibility?  Am I trying to offer service or am I doing so to be recognized, to receive kudos, to be highly regarded, to feel good about myself.”

            Jesus contrasts this self-referential mentality with his own logic: instead of exalting himself above others, he gets off his pedestal, becomes one of us,  and lets us know that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”(v. 45). 

            Just as Jesus immerses himself, he challenges us to do the same.  And how should we do that?  We should relate to others compassionately in those who have crossed our path.  As we get close to Jesus, we will discover his way to doing things.  We will see that he did not remain in heaven to look down upon us but he lowered himself to wash our feet.  God is love and love is humble as it pours itself into where it is needed. 

            How can we live this way?  Dedication is certainly needed, but that’s not enough as we can’t do it on our own.  Brothers and sisters, we have a strength within us that we received at our Baptism, in which we were immersed in Jesus, as we were initiated into his mystical Body, the Church.  All of us have received the gift of the Holy Spirit that directs us, empowers us to follow Jesus instead of our interests, which means to put ourselves into the service of others.  It is living a life of grace, a fire that the Spirit has set kindled within our heart that needs to be nurtured.  Today, let us call upon the Holy Spirit to renew the grace of baptism in us, that immersion in Jesus, in his way of being, to be more like servants, to be servants like he has been with us.

            And let us pray our Lady: even though she was the greatest, she did not seek to rise up, but was always a humble servant of the Lord—“Let it be done to me according to your Word”—and is completely immersed in our service to help us encounter Jesus.  Amen. 

Reflection Questions:

1.  Behaviorally, is your life about Jesus or about you?  How do you know?
2. In today’s Gospel, there are two logics at work: that of rising up or  being immersed.  Which logic are you living.
3. At your baptism, the Holy Spirit has kindled within your heart the divine Presence; how do you nurture that flame?