Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said: “The world offers you comfort; but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.
In the Gospel, Jesus was not really concerned about his disciples’ desire for greatness. He actually prepared them for greatness; but, what Jesus was concerned about was their wrong or erroneous ideas about what it means to be great.
And so, Jesus contrasted between greatness in the eyes of the world and being great in the kingdom of God. In this world, the greatest people appear to be those who are being served, those who rule over others. In the kingdom of God, however, the greatest are those who serve others.
Let us start with our family… The important question is this: Are you in your family to serve or are you in your family to be served? … Your answer to that question is critical as to what happens with your family…
But, we also need to realize that there is a substantial difference between how people usually understand or define what a servant is and how Jesus used the word “servant”…. Meaning … just because one serves another person or just because one is a servant does not mean one is already great in the eyes of God.
Similarly, just because one is poor here on earth, it does not mean he automatically will go to heaven or just because one is rich, it does not necessarily mean that he will have a hard time going to heaven… because it is all a matter of attitude and intentions…. a matter of what we do with what we have – be it much or be it little given our status in life.
In terms of being a servant, the difference is in the servant’s motivation and attitude… because admittedly there are those who serve but for the most part, they have had little choice about their roles in life… Given the choice, they would rather not serve…It is just unfortunate for them as they feel…they just found themselves to be in such a situation/position – serving others - because of circumstances… but it was not their choice.
Meaning - It is not enough to do the right thing but it is important to do the right thing for the right reason. Let us ask always ourselves: why do we do what we do?
What does Jesus mean then “to serve” and at the same time also being great in the kingdom of God? It means to put the needs of others ahead of our own. True love means willing the good of the other. It means to freely willingly choose to be servants, and to make the choice gladly, knowing it is the way to fullness of life and joy….
To truly serve means to serve, not out of sense of guilt – not out of sense of desire for reward but true service means serving others out of love…. For the love of God - rooted in our personal relationship with God, rooted in love.
Jesus himself is the greatest example who came “not to be served but to serve ”…being obedient to the Father…willingly and humbly giving himself up to death – even death on the cross.
What Jesus showed us is not a new way of serving, not a new way of doing things, but a new way of BEING. It is being in communion, being one with the Father.
Christ himself did nothing of himself. He said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what the Father does, his son will do also”(Jn 5:19) - meaning - the entire ministry of Jesus depends upon his remaining in and belonging to the Father…. And Jesus is inviting/pointing us into this same personal intimate relationship with the Father, the Source of Life… the Source of all that is good.
Just as Jesus remains in the Father in His missionary work, Jesus told his disciples and is telling us: “Whoever remains in me…. Will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
You see, even if what we do can be seen as good Godly Christian service, but if it is not according to God’s will for us and others but according only to our own personal selfish agenda, we can do more harm than good to ourselves and to others.
Always remember: People see our action; God sees our intention… what is in our hearts.
If we are not in communion with God and therefore if we fail to live in His grace and if we just trust and rely on our own efforts, if we rely just on our own understanding of reality… Christian life can become extremely frustrating and difficult… if we do not have the Spirit of Christ in us…
…and therefore, if we do not have Christ in us, we will find NO joy, no strength in serving and therefore we will find ourselves burning out easily… which could lead us to resenting our being servant and in our ministry, we will find ourselves and people will notice our being “grouchy” and consequently affecting how we serve others and therefore we could even turn people off or away from Church, and even God.
But if we are in communion with God, then we will know what to do, to whom to do it, when to do it, how to do it, effectively and even effortlessly – joyfully, gladly. There is no such thing as a sad saint.
People say: “I serve the poor because I see Christ in them…” You know what? Actually, if we are One with Christ, He will take us to the poor….and we will serve them as Christ serves them… Christ ministering to Christ… what an awesome reality. It is now the love of Christ that loves them through us.
St. Therese of Lisieux said: “I know that when I am charitable, it is Jesus alone who is acting through me and the more closely I unite myself to Him, the more I will be able to love all.
In the Gospel, Jesus asked His disciples and He is asking us – Can we drink His cup. Jesus suffered, was crucified, died out of love for us.
In our Eucharistic celebration, as we eat the bread of life – Are we willing to accept the consequence of eating the Bread of Life? …. When we say Amen to the Body of Christ - Are we willing to be also the Bread of Life for others?…Are we willing to say amen to whatever God calls us to… as disciples?
Yes, the closer we follow Jesus, he will take us to where we would rather not go; He will takes us to serve even those people we do not even like and whom we would rather not serve.
These are the paradoxes of Christian life. If you want to be full, you must empty yourself. If you want to live, you must die to yourself. If you want to be free, you must be a slave to Christ…
And…Obedience to Christ results NOT into submission but it results into likeness, being other Christs in the world….
Jesus said: “Know the truth and the truth will set you free.
St. Pope John Paul II said: “True freedom is not freedom to do whatever you want to do – but true freedom is to do what you ought to do.” … to be what you are meant to be…free to Love… because God is love.
The greatest joy in the world, true happiness, lasting happiness, fullness of life is reserved for those who are like Christ, who have the heart to serve
So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if you want to live a great life, if at the end you want to be remembered as a great man or great woman, be a servant which is our highest calling and the very meaning of our lives.
Saint John of the Cross said: “In the twilight of life, meaning – at the end of our earthly life, God will NOT judge us based on our earthly possessions and human successes or achievements, but God will judge us on how well we have loved.'
God bless…
