Greetings (see Second Reading)
We have here among us a high priest capable of feeling our
weaknesses and who was tempted in every way that we are, though he was without
sin. With his grace and mercy may Jesus be always with you. R/ And also
with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
Power Is Dangerous
Have you noticed how, in their campaign for office, most
politicians use the word “service”? Very much they say they want to be the
servants of the people and to be elected so that they can serve. But when they
are elected, whom do they serve? Most usually serve themselves first and then
make the people serve them. That should never be the way of the Church. People
in the church offices or as ordinary faithful should have the ambition to serve
one another and, in this way, to serve God. That was Jesus’ way. We ask him
today to make it our way.
Greatness through Service
Not those commanding as masters, not those seeking places of
honor, promotion, privileges and medals are great according to the standards of
Jesus, but those who know how to serve. To serve is the Christian’s “career.”
The servant is at the disposal of all, understands the weakness of others and
sees them in himself. To serve is often painful, but only those capable of
sacrificing themselves for others and not running away from difficulties have
something to contribute to the world. They accept to be like seeds that die to
give life. Ask Jesus, who is with us here, to help us serve with him.
Penitential Act
How much we want others to serve us! Let us ask the Lord and
each other to forgive us from the heart. (pause)
Lord Jesus, you tell
us: I, the Lord and Master, came not to be served but to serve. Lord, have
mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you warn us not to imitate the high and the
mighty who make people feel how powerful they are: Christ, have mercy. R/
Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you assure us that if we want to be great, we
have to serve one another: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
In your kindness, forgive us, Lord, and give us the insight
and the strength to serve one another in love. Lead us to everlasting
life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that Jesus may teach us how to serve one another
(pause)
Our God and Father, 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 your Son, 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 our love. We ask this through Christ our
Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Service through Suffering
The fourth song of the Suffering Servant is fulfilled in
Jesus. Humbly and compassionately, he took our sins upon himself and made it
possible for us to serve God and one another.
1st Reading: IS 53:10-11
Second Reading: Jesus, Our Strength in Weakness
Jesus understands our weakness because he became a human
being like us. He is our strength and help, for he is the Son of God.
2nd Reading: HEB 4:14-16
Gospel: Serving with Jesus
The Christian’s greatness lies in humble service. We can
learn this from Jesus’ words and example.
Gospel: MK 10:35-45
Or MK 10:42-45
Intercessions
Let us pray to God, who serves us in many ways, that we may
learn from his Son not to spare ourselves so as to spare others, and let us
say:
R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For the Church, that it may serve the world by
standing up for justice and peace and defending the freedom and dignity of the
human person, let us pray:
R/ Lord, make us servants
of your love.
– For those in authority in the Church, that
they may not become functionaries but be “ministers,” that is, servants, let us
pray:
R/ Lord, make us servants of
your love.
– For our Christian families, that by their
mutual care and service parents may prepare their children to render service to
others, let us pray;
R/ Lord, make us servants
of your love.
– For the many who serve us in various ways to
provide us with the things and help we need – servants, drivers, nurses,
technicians and all the others, too many to name – that we may be grateful to
them, let us pray:
R/ Lord, make us servants
of your love.
– For ourselves and our communities, that all of
us may be less demanding, that we may be attentive to one another and serve
each other’s needs and more, let us pray:
R/ Lord, make us servants
of your love.
Lord our God, we pray you to convert us to the demands of
the gospel. Help us to become servants to one another, together with the
Servant of all, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, as your Son serves us himself at the table in
the signs of bread and wine, he asks us to drink with him the cup of
self-sacrificing service. 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
them a chance to live. May we seek no other reward than to share the destiny of
Jesus, our Lord and Savior forever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us lift our hearts and voices to thank God for giving us
Someone who experienced our weakness and became one of us to serve and save us
and make us serve the Father and each other.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with Jesus to our Father in heaven that we may
do his will and serve his kingdom. R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, keep us from the urge to
seek positions of honor or power at the expense of others. Help us to pay with
our service the cost of peace and love, as we wait in joyful hope for the
coming among us of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is the Lamb of God who came not to be served but to
serve and to pay with his life the price of our freedom. Happy are we to be
invited to share his table and learn what serving means from him. R/
Lord, I am not worthy...
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. R/ Amen.
Blessing
The message of the Gospel is uncomfortable. It goes against
the grain of our ingrained human attitude to be told to serve rather than to be
served, to be willing to spare others by not sparing ourselves for the good of
others and to give up the urge for power. But this is the hard truth with which
Christ has confronted us today. Like Jesus, then, let us try in our homes, in
our communities, in the Church, to spend ourselves for others, with the
blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/
Amen.
Let us go and serve the Lord in people. R/ Thanks be to
God.
Commentary
The Glory of the Lord and that of the world
Desires for power, positions, wealth and glory are part of
man’s life. How far one nurtures these desires will decide how far he/she moves
away from the Kingdom of God.
The Gospel presents a dispute among the 12 apostles. It
turns out to be an issue of a family – two brothers conspire against the rest
of the group. James and John are in their moment of selfish interests, present
their petition for the best offices in the Kingdom that Jesus would establish
soon!
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and he even spoke about his
impending death three times. While talking to them about the torture and his
death, Jesus also told them, “But on the third day, he will rise.” Perhaps that
was the only part that got registered into their head and lost everything else
that he spoke about his sufferings and death. They believe that their
‘miracle-working' master would rise and soon establish his kingdom. Their
dreams for glory do not stop even in the face of death. The lust for power and
the aspiration to occupy places of honour are so deeply rooted in human beings.
On their way to Jerusalem, the disciples’ attention moves to
the Roman palaces and the glory that the world offers. If Jesus would establish
his Kingdom and begin his rule from Jerusalem, the glory of the ruling class
could soon belong to them.
Jesus stops them and invites them to participate in his
chalice and baptism. Chalice referred to a well-known custom in Israel: the
father, or the one who occupied the first place at the table, would offer a
drink from his cup to the person of his choice as a gesture of esteem and
affection. Jesus offers his chalice to the disciples – meaning he holds them as
his beloved ones.
The image of baptism indicates the passage through the
waters of death. The sufferings and afflictions are often compared in the Bible
to immersion in deep waters (Ps 69:2-3; 42:8). The only path available for a
disciple of Jesus is the passage through the baptism of service and
self-sacrifice.
The desires for power, position, and glory are not the
benchmark of the disciple; only the gentiles search for and crave them! If this
is any yardstick to identify a disciple of Jesus, we Christians may have to do
a lot of soul-searching to find out if I am truly a disciple or a pagan! Jesus
further clarifies this standard by citing his own life example: “The Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve.”
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20 October 2024 - MISSION SUNDAY
Mark 10: 35-45
Go and Invite Everyone to the Banquet
Today’s Gospel reminds us that leadership, in Jesus’ eyes,
is not about authority or power but about service and humility. Jesus values
those who take up responsibility but stresses the importance of the right
attitude. As Christians, we understand that true leadership mirrors Christ’s
example of service, not self-promotion.
Today, on World Mission Day, the Church reminds us of the
crucial role missionaries play in spreading God’s love and the Good News of His
Kingdom. Pope Francis has chosen a fitting theme this year: “Go and Invite
Everyone to the Banquet,” which reflects the inclusiveness of God’s love and
our responsibility to share it with the world. Just as in the Gospel of
Matthew, where the invitation to the banquet is extended to all, so too are we
called to share God’s grace with everyone, regardless of who they are or where
they come from.
In today’s Gospel, we hear of a dispute among the apostles
about who should hold the highest positions in the Kingdom Jesus would
establish. James and John sought prestige, causing tension within the group.
Jesus, however, redirects their focus, reminding them that leadership is not
about status or control but about serving others. He invites them to share in
His chalice, a symbol of His love and His willingness to suffer for others.
This invitation is not just for the apostles but for all of us who seek to
follow Christ.
On this World Mission Day, we are reminded that mission work, too, is about service, not status. Missionaries do not go out to control or coerce but to lovingly invite others into the fullness of God’s love. We are all called to be missionaries, sharing the gifts of faith and hope with others through humble service and genuine care. As we honour those serving in missions, we are also reminded to take up our own call to serve wherever we are.
