O.T. 29 SUNDAY:Is 53:10-11; Hb 4:14-16; Mk 10:35-45

In today’s Gospel James and John want glory, and Our Lord wants to show them the path to it: suffering for the sake of others. Our true glory comes from the degree to which we give ourselves to others, just like Our Lord.

Today’s First Reading speaks of the Suffering Servant and the fruits of his suffering for himself and others. The Suffering Servant is a prophecy of Our Lord, and the “cup” to which he refers in today’s Gospel is the suffering he knows he must endure for us. [I have seen videos of testimonies of several Jews who embraced Christianity because they read the Suffering Servant prophecy in the Book of Isaiah and its fulfillment in Christ after they came across the New Testament. Jewish Rabbis forbid the Jews to read the New Testament, branding Jesus as a heretic Jew. But when someone reads it they can easily connect the link].

The reading says, the suffering servant gives his life as an offering for sin. And through his suffering, he shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Suffering has a purpose in this case: through Christ’s suffering, his followers will receive a long life, the Father’s will is accomplished, and many are justified. No one likes needless suffering. We seek to alleviate it, but it is not needless if it has a purpose. The suffering servant of Isaiah suffers for the sinners.

In today’s Second Reading we see the glory that Our Lord received for drinking the cup of suffering: he became our High Priest by sacrificing himself.

In the Gospel James and John are seeking glory, but they don’t entirely understand the path to it or the kind of glory to be won. Our Lord works with them; he doesn’t simply tell them they’re being ambitious and should focus on other things. Followers of Christ will be glorified if they persevere in the faith, but it’s the Lord who sets the terms as to what that glory consists of and how to get there.

In the kingdom of Jesus the standard was that of service. Greatness consisted, not in reducing other men to one’s service, but in reducing oneself to their service.

 Hannibal Barca was a military commander of the Carthage army in 247 BC. He led a famous campaign in the second Punic War against the Roman army, remaining undefeated until the very gates of Rome. His most famous military accomplishment was the battle of Cannae, where he defeated a Roman army double the size of his. What was the secret of his success?  He was a man who led by example. He would sleep among his soldiers and would not wear anything that made him distinct above his soldiers. He would lead the armies into battle and be the last to leave the battlefield. Even today he stands as a model for leadership.  Real leaders put the needs of the people they lead ahead of their own. So they became great.

 Jesus summarized his mission in one sentence: "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." According to Jesus, greatness consists not in what we have, nor in what we can get from others but in what we give to others. Jesus thus overturned all our values, teaching us that true greatness consists in loving, humble, and sacrificial service. For Jesus, true service means putting our gifts at the disposal of others. For our contemporaries Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa, greatness lay in the giving of their whole self to the very lowest, treating them as brothers and sisters and living close to them.

 This is the lesson that the church places before us today. This is the lesson that the Saints have put into practice, and achieved greatness. This is the lesson that the world expects from the followers of Jesus.

Every baptized Christian has been called to enter the servant leadership of Jesus. The best place to begin this servant leadership is in our own homes and in the workplace.  We have to look upon our education, training, and experience as preparation for service to others.  Whatever may be our place in society — whether important or unimportant — we can serve.  We should learn to serve with a smile.  This is possible whether we are in military service, social service, law, medical service, government, or business. We get chances to serve others every day.  Nurses serve their patients, teachers serve their students, parents serve the needs of their children, and spouses serve each another and their children as well as their own parents in old age. “Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier.” —Albert Schweitzer.

Today, as Jesus puts us first by giving himself to us in this Mass, let's ask him to help us follow his example, by being available to others this coming week.