Monday, July 25, 2016
St. James, Apostle
1st Reading:
2 Cor 4:7-15 Gospel:
Matthew 20:20-28
The mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down to ask a favor. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here you have my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at your right and one at your left, when you are in your kingdom.”
Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to grant. That will be for those for whom the Father has prepared it.”
The other ten heard all this and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you; whoever wants to be more important in your group shall make himself your servant. And if you want to be first, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Power struggle does more harm than good. When protracted into a full-blown war, the struggle costs lives. A line from a Canadian Newspaper, “The Montreal Star” quoted by Reader’s Digest in its February 1932 issue playfully captures the same concept this way: “War does not determine who is right – only who is left”. But why do many people go through the struggle? Even the disciples of Jesus appeared to be power strugglers. Two of them had asked for prime seats in the kingdom of heaven (see Mark’s version in Mark 10:37). When the others heard about the request they became indignant like they felt they should have been the first to ask for the position.
Knowing the extent of his disciples’ hunger for power, Jesus felt he had to show them how to be humble. Thus he shunned any semblance of power show. He refused to perform miracles even if such could have won for him many instant followers. Jesus’ Passion was a very powerful teaching tool on humility. He refused to move higher up until it was time to climb the cross. But when he did, he was higher than Mt. Calvary – higher than his passion and death. This way he showed his disciples the height to which one arrives if he seeks not power but the opportunity to serve and to save others.
Did the disciples learn? Probably not! At Calvary they disserted Jesus like they had followed the wrong Messiah. What a big loss! Didn’t we say that struggle for power is destructive? – (Atty.) Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM., MMExM., MAPM, REB. Email: [email protected].
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