Servant of All

“’If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.’ Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives a child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.’” (Mark 9:35-37)

These are the words that Jesus spoke to the disciples after he heard them discussing among themselves who was the greatest. The world’s idea of greatest is different from Christ’s definition of greatness. In the world, greatness is all about prestige and power, often at the expense of others. It is selfish ambition that drives so many people and they often leave a path of destruction and wounded people along the way to what they perceive as greatness. But as Christians we are called to a life of service, one that calls us to be unselfish. We have to go against our tendency to be affirmed and loved by others. We need to humbly call upon God to deliver us from our self-seeking and instead seek to fulfill His will.

I heard someone say today that, the character of a person is best revealed in how they treat a person who can neither help them nor harm them. This is why Jesus uses the example of the child in today’s gospel. Children are vulnerable and there is no benefit in giving special treatment to a child because they have no power or authority. When we treat others with love and compassion, especially when it offers no recognition for our efforts and at times causes others to mock us, then we are living as Christ lived. As disciples we are called to study Jesus’ life and words, we seek to follow his ways, especially the way of the cross. Jesus chose “the humiliation of his Passion and shameful death in order to deliver us to life. Jesus’ choice challenges our priorities…in the Eucharist, let us empty ourselves of pride, ambition, and all self-seeking, that we may be filled with the life Christ won for us through the cross.”  ~Magnificat