7th Week, Tuesday, Feb 21st; St. Peter Damian
Eccle 2:1-11 / Mark 9:30-37
Trust God; Your reward will not be lost.
An old poem describes a man walking through a field, meditating as he goes. He came to a field of ripe pumpkins. In the field was a huge oak tree. As he studied the tiny acorns on the huge branches and the huge pumpkins on the tiny vines, he thought to himself, "God blundered! He should have put the acorns on the tiny vines and the pumpkins on the huge branches." Then the man lay down under the tree and fell asleep. A few minutes later he was awakened by a tiny acorn bouncing off his nose. The young man rubbed his nose and thought, "Maybe God was right after all!"
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Do we sometimes question God's wisdom regarding some of the things in our world? How ready are we to put total trust in whatever God asks of us in this life? "The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom." 1 Cor 1:25
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Today, Ben Sirach speaks of sufferings that come to people and test them as gold in the fire.
(Jesus announces his passion and resurrection for the second time, but the disciples did not understand him. Do we understand? We have begun this Eucharist by placing it under the sign of the cross. Do we understand the cross, especially when it weighs on our own shoulders?) The future leaders of the Church, the disciples, are not free from dangerous defects like ambition; they seek the power of the first place in the kingdom, they do not understand that Jesus – and they, too – will have to suffer, and that service and simplicity are required to promote the kingdom.
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For every question that is asked, there is an answer to it. Even for rhetoric questions, we already know what the answer is. Yet if a question is asked, and no answer is given, then there could be a couple of possible reasons for it. It is either that no one really knows the answer but they will have to say so, or that the answer is so stark that it is too embarrassing to say it.
In the gospel, when Jesus asked His disciples what were they arguing about on the road, they said nothing. They surely knew what they were arguing about - which of them is the greatest. But now they are like small boys hanging down their heads and not wanting to say anything. Certainly, when grown men argue like small boys, it is really embarrassing, and more so when they were the disciples of Jesus, and even more so when just before that, Jesus was telling them about the suffering and death He had to go through.
And it was here that Jesus showed those big "small boys" what greatness really is. He set a little boy before them and gave them this profound teaching: If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.
The 1st reading gave us such a startling teaching that we would rather not hear about it. It says My son if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal. It continues with this: Whatever happens to you, accept it, and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient since gold is tested in the fire, and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation. So if we were to ask what greatness is, we also know what the answer is. May we be willing and humble enough to accept that answer.
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Prayer
Lord our God, you know what is in our hearts. Purify our thoughts, change our mentality and give us the attitude of Jesus, your Son. Help us to identify with Jesus, to accept suffering as a part of life and of our efforts to establish your kingdom. In whatever position we are, keep us humble, trusting and simple and may we have no other ambition than to serve your Son in our sisters and brothers. For he was the servant of all and so you made him our Lord forever. Amen
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Feast day February 21
Born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1007, Peter Damian knew hardship as a child. He became a successful teacher, but only for a short time. He was ordained to the priesthood, and in 1035, he entered a Benedictine monastery. The monks lived in small hermitages, with two monks in each. Peter was known for his fasting, penance, and long hours of prayer. In 1043, he was elected abbot. Peter began reorganizing the rules of the order to return to the original spirit and purpose of the order. Men were drawn to the monastery, and Peter started five other foundations.
In 1057, Peter was made cardinal and bishop of Ostia. Soon he was called upon by the Church to settle disputes, attend synods, and fight abuses. He devoted much energy to helping the clergy, as well as the leaders of the empire. With his letters, biographies, sermons, stories, and poems, he encouraged others to restore discipline to their lives. Through all his diplomatic missions, Peter Damian remained a monk at heart. He served the Church as he was asked, however, and as best he could. He died February 22, 1072, and in 1828, was declared a Doctor of the Church.
