29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
Jesus said to them "whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." With these words of Jesus to His apostles from today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Mark 10:35-45, He gives us the most important aspect of discipleship. Service is the most important aspect or characteristic of discipleship. Service for Jesus is the mark of greatness, leadership and authority. Service as we know means ‘the action of helping or doing work for someone,’ hence for us Catholic Christians, service is the act of helping others and doing work for God. So how are you helping others? How are you being of service to God in our world today? What are the characteristics of true service to God?
So how are you helping others? How are you being of service to God in our world today? What are the characteristics of true service to God? According to Jesus in today’s gospel reading, "For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many," the characteristics of true service to God are Humility - ‘For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve,’ and Sacrifice - ‘and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ Hence, Humility and Sacrifice are the two characteristics of true service to God. In order for one to truly serve God, one has to be humble. Humility helps us not be in the limelight and to let the focus be on God rather than on us. In our service to God we often become the center of attraction and forget who we are called to serve and bear witness to. So Jesus’s call ‘to serve and not to be served,” points out the need to let the glory and praise be to God as we serve Him and not to us.
Another characteristic of true Service to God is Sacrifice as emphasized by Jesus in these words “that the Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many.” Yes indeed He did give His life as random for many by dying on the cross for us. There is no glory without sacrifice, just as there is no salvation without the cross of Christ. Jesus suffered and died for us to show us that true service to God requires sacrifice.
My dear brothers and sisters, the call to discipleship is a call to service so let us go out into our world today and be of service to God by sacrificing ourselves, gifts, talents and time for the greater glory of His name and by serving God with humility. Amen!
