8th Week, Wednesday, May 29
We have been saved; The price of salvation was Christ's blood.
1 Peter 1:18-25
Albrecht Durer was a 16th-century German painter. One of his masterpieces is called "Descent from the Cross." It shows Jesus being taken down from the cross.
There's an interesting detail in the painting. One of the disciples has just picked up the crown of thorns that fell from Jesus' head when they lowered him from the cross.
Durer shows the disciple pressing his finger against one of the thorns to get some idea of how much pain Jesus felt when the thorns were pressed into his flesh.
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How do we try to gain a better appreciation, from time to time, of the price Jesus paid for our redemption?
"Who never ate his bread in sorrow, who never spent the darksome hours, weeping and watching for the morrow, he knows you not, you heavenly powers.' "
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Introduction
In the first reading, Peter reminds his audience that they must live up to their baptism. For they have been reborn at the expense of the blood of Christ, who also rose for them.
The Gospel tells us that the great God will save people through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came as a servant of all. Those who follow Jesus must, like him, learn to serve, and learn to serve even at the cost of pain.
Opening Prayer
God Lord of all, your Son Jesus, was your equal and yet he made himself our brother and servant. May his Spirit be alive in us and dispose us to become like him, powerless and vulnerable, so that we can serve one another, especially the weakest of our brothers and sisters. In this way, may people experience how bold you make your love. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Intercessions
– For those in authority in the Church, that they may not become functionaries but be “ministers,” that is, servants, we pray:
– For our Christian families, that by their mutual care and service, parents may prepare their children to render service to others, we pray:
– For the many who serve us in various ways and provide us with the things and help we need – servants, drivers, nurses, technicians and so many others, too many to name – that we may be grateful and kind to them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, as your Son serves us himself at table in the signs of bread and wine, he asks us to drink with him the cup of self-sacrificing love. Let your Son fill us with that love which alone can understand that to be great is to serve others and to use up our lives to give people a chance to live and be free. May we seek no other reward than to share the destiny of Jesus, our Lord and Savior for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Loving Father, your Son has been with us in this Eucharistic celebration as the servant of us all. Let him dispose our hearts and give us his courage to understand and accept others, to accompany them on the road of life, to suffer their pains, to rejoice with their joys and to carry each other’s burdens, that he may be with us, now and forever.
Blessing
We, too, are here to serve rather than to be served. It is not an easy task. Spare others by not sparing yourself. May Almighty God bless you for this, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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Commentary
Fr. Paulo Morlachi was an Italian Missionary who served in Hong Kong as a hospital chaplain for many decades. A motor accident in his youth almost crippled him and he walked with difficulty ever since. But that did not stop him from visiting many hospitals every day without fail, visiting patients and administering them the sacraments. He was old, limping, and was not fluent in the local language, but even years after his death, many people in Hong Kong remember him with affection for the comfort and peace he brought into their lives when they needed it most.
But today we live in a world where we want to stand out above others and prefer to be in places of honour and recognition. In the Gospel today, we have James and John requesting the Lord to consider them to the top position when the Lord establishes his Kingdom. Jesus gives them a beautiful catechesis: "whoever wants to be great, let him be your servant and whoever wants to be first, be the slave of all."
Fortunately, there are among us great people as Jesus asks us to be. They never appear in the media, nobody gives them recognition. They may not have academic qualifications nor do they possess much wealth, but they do have something that is worth more than material goods: kindness, tenderness and compassion for those in need. Men and women who walk through our streets, simple and ordinary people but who are found at the right moment when you need a word of encouragement, a friendly look, a happy smile, a favour ...
Good parents who take time, even if they come tired from the day's work, to listen to the thousand and one questions of their little children, who enjoy their games and discover the best of life with them. Tireless mothers who fill their homes with love and joy; women who are priceless, because they know how to give their children what they need most at every moment; Spouses who are maturing their love day by day, learning to give in, generously taking care of the happiness of the other, forgiving each other in the thousand little frictions of life.
These are the ones who make life more pleasant and the world more liveable. Jesus said of them that they are “great” because they live at the service of others and help them to live with hope and joy. In the desert of this world, where only rivalry and confrontation seem to grow, they are small oases where friendship, trust and mutual help sprout. They may never receive a tribute or even a word of thanks, but these men and women - "an uncountable crowd" as Revelation says - are great because they are human.
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29 May 2024 – St. Pope Paul VI
Mark 10:32-45
Share the richness of God’s Word
In today's Gospel, Jesus and his apostles are on their way to Jerusalem, and there is a sense of anxiety in the air. Jesus shares with the Twelve the events that are about to unfold - that he will be betrayed, condemned, mocked, spat upon, flogged, and ultimately killed, but he will rise again.
To the surprise of many, James and John approached Jesus and requested to have positions of prominence in the future. This request was considered inappropriate by many. However, Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to teach them a valuable lesson.
"What significance do temporal places of honour have when compared to the incomparable eternal honour that has already been bestowed upon us? The teachings of God encourage humility and gratitude rather than seeking prestige and status. When running a good race, it makes no sense to step off the track and run in reverse.”
Jesus defines His mission and His life: “For the Son of man Himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
What is sorely needed in our time is good catechesis. Even many well-educated professionals still have only an elementary understanding of their faith. The Word of God is so rich. How anxious we should be to share it with all the world! Like St. Paul we should be telling ourselves, “Woe to me if I do not preach.”
