July 25, 2018 Wednesday, James, Apostle
1st Reading: 2 Cor 4:7–15 Gospel: Mt 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)
Ambition that consumes the human heart rends propriety apart. How inappropriate of James and John to ask Jesus for reserved seats in heaven! One may argue in their favor that it was their mother, not them, who had asked Jesus the favor. But that is Matthew’s version. Mark 10:35-45 tells us that James and John themselves made the embarrassing request. (Matthew had a different purpose. He wanted to use the scenario to make allusion to Bathsheba who sought the kingdom of Solomon (see 1Kings 1:11-21)).
It wasn’t wrong for these two Apostles to be ambitious about heaven. After all, there is no treasure more precious to aspire for, no prize more irresistible to go for, than being in heaven with God our Creator.
But they wanted a lifetime of gain without pain. Ambition without devotion and dedication is addiction.
An addict loses the sense of propriety, and shamelessly covets the crown without sweat in their brow. Jesus made this clear to James and John by way of a question: “Can you drink the cup (of suffering) that I am about to drink?”
Ambition that has ripened to addiction is a plague that spares no one, not even the Apostles who were close to Jesus. We shouldn’t allow the same to corrupt our heart. Let us not forget that if one can’t achieve earthly glory lying down, imagine the implications of coveting the heavenly crown! The least we can expect to achieve heaven is to partake of the cup of Jesus’ redemptive sufferings. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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