Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 28, 2024
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Reflection
As a young child, I attended a summer camp run by the YMCA. In the expansive woods near
Lake Logan Martin in Alabama, a small sign was nailed to a tree here and there. Each of these
signs said the same thing: “I am third.” These three simple words sum up today’s gospel.
One can pardon the excitement of the mother of James and John who, after paying Jesus
homage, asks the Lord to take care of her sons, ensuring that they are given places of honor.
Their mother wasn’t the only one who still hadn’t understood the true nature of Christ’s
kingdom; James and John fall into the same trap, along with the other disciples, who are jealous
of the preferential treatment they fear the brothers are receiving. Jesus sets them all straight,
telling them that in his kingdom, things are different.
Jesus’ admonition that he came to serve and to give his life in ransom for many prefigures, not
only his death on the cross but one of the most powerful images of his passion: the washing of
the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. Christ wrapped a towel around his waist, like a servant, and knelt before those who had come to believe that he was the one sent by God to save his people, in order to wash their dusty feet.
At my old summer camp, they simplified this profound lesson for the young boys and girls running through the woods. God is first. Others are second. I am third. To follow Christ, we too must serve, rather than seek to be served. Only by placing the needs of others before my own, by placing myself third, can I be the disciple Christ calls me to be by serving his brothers and
sisters, thus giving praise to God.
Prayer
The life of your followers is one of service and self-sacrifice, a life like yours, Lord. Though you must have trembled before the betrayal, condemnation, and suffering ahead, you did not turn away. No, you continued up to Jerusalem out of love for us. Fill us with your love and your strength, O God, so that we might be the servant of our sisters and brothers and thus imitate your great gift of love. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Hilary was pope for seven years in the fifth century and was known for safeguarding Church unity in a time of great disagreement.
He was born in Italy and served as an aide to Pope Leo I, who preceded him as pope and sent him on many official assignments. One of those assignments was to attend a council that was held in Ephesus without official approval. His task was to report on a heresy being discussed there—the denial of Christ’s humanity. This heresy was already condemned by an earlier council, and the followers of this erroneous belief physically attacked Hilary and his delegation. They barely escaped and returned to Rome.
When Pope Leo died, Hilary was elected bishop of Rome. As pope, he did much to strengthen the Church, especially in France and Spain. He was known for defending the rights of bishops, while urging them to greater faithfulness and less luxury. He established the pope, not the emperor, as the leader in spiritual matters, and rebuilt many churches in Rome, renovated the Lateran Basilica, and constructed a number of convents and libraries. He died on this date in 468, and his image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Hilary, the pope who helped build the Church and fought for unity—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Hilary is available for use under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.