Daily Gospel Reflection
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October 20, 2024
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him, “Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, “We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, 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.”
Whenever I’m invited to a large party, especially where I only know the hosts, I find myself gravitating towards, and even monopolizing the hosts’ attention. I’ve recently noticed this, and I don’t like it. I’ve realized it’s an unconscious attempt to show I’m part of the “in” crowd—that I’m supposed to be at this party, and I’m part of the hosts’ inner circle. Somehow, it makes me feel superior. So, even if the other guests reject me, I’m still accepted and even set apart.
The apostles expected Jesus would free the Jews from Roman oppression and he would be ruler of the world. They expected the Messiah to rule as a king in their lifetime, to end the Jews’ suffering. As such, being at Jesus’ right and left would have been the place to be. They would not only then be seen as the elite but also be entitled to give orders and draw praise, admiration, and respect.
Jesus, however, said this is wrong. Why? Because just like me at a party, worried about appearances and not focusing on the needs of the hosts or their guests, James and John focused on themselves and their appearances and not on helping others or Jesus. They had plans for how they’d be viewed and who they could command, much like the Romans, where ranking was everything.
If I really want to be a follower of Jesus, I need to stop worrying about myself and how everyone views me. I need to look around the proverbial party and see the people sitting alone, grieving, or feeling like they don’t belong. I need to focus on being present to them and showing them they are accepted, respected, and even loved. Only by doing so will I help build the kingdom of God.
Prayer
Lord, if we drink the cup each of us is poured and given in life, we know that we, your servants, just like the first disciples, will fare no better than you, our master. But if we shirk the cross in our lives, gone too will be our hope. Strengthen us to be faithful to our vocations that in serving rather than being served, we will find the dying and the rising equally assured. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Paul of the Cross was an 18th century Italian mystic who founded the Passionist order after receiving a vision.
He was born in 1694 in northern Italy near Genoa. His father owned a store, and moved the family frequently in an effort to make ends meet in better markets. His parents bore 16 children, but only six survived childhood—Paul was the second of those.
Paul went to a school for boys run by a priest and was an excellent student. He returned home when he was 15, and began to gather other boys in the neighborhood into a community of sorts dedicated to prayer and good works. He went on to teach catechism in nearby parishes.
When he was 19, Paul had a conversion in which he saw that he was not cooperating with God's grace enough, and dedicated himself to a life of prayer and discipline. Soon, Jesus’ suffering and death—his passion—became a central focus for the young man because he believed it was the most important thing for people to know about God.
“It is an excellent and holy practice to call to mind and meditate on our Lord's passion, since it is by this path that we shall arrive at union with God,” he wrote. “In this, the holiest of all schools, true wisdom is learned, for it was there that all the saints became wise.”
When he was 26 years old, Paul experienced a vision during prayer in which he heard God calling him to establish a new religious community dedicated to Jesus’ passion. In the vision, he saw himself clothed in the habit that his community would wear: a long, black robe with a white symbol stitched in the center—a white cross above a white heart that held the words, “passion of Jesus Christ.” The new community was grounded in poverty and solitude and had a mission to encourage people to meditate on the suffering and death of Jesus.
"The service of God does not require good words and good desires,” Paul said, “but efficient workmanship, fervor and courage." Paul’s first follower was his own brother, John Baptist. The two moved to Rome to seek approval for the new order, and were invited to help establish a new hospital.
The brothers studied theology and were ordained priests by the pope in 1727. They went out to rural, underserved areas to preach missions. Paul in particular was an excellent preacher and the community began to grow as more and more people were touched by their ministry and other young men wanted to join their efforts.
When Paul preached, people listened—he would scourge himself and hold the cross to urge people to call upon the sufferings of Jesus to reform their ways. One army officer told him, "Father, I have been in great battles without ever flinching at the cannon's roar, but when I listen to you I tremble from head to foot."
As he grew in holiness, Paul was given supernatural gifts—he could see into the future, and sick people became well through his prayer and touch. At times he could appear to people who were far away.
When Paul died in 1775, his community held 180 priests and brothers, and also included a convent of contemplative sisters. St. Vincent Strambi was a Passionist priest who was named a bishop. The Passionists came to America in 1852—here, the feast day for St. Paul of the Cross is perpetually transferred to Oct. 20; the rest of the world celebrates his feast day on Oct. 19.
Relics of St. Paul of the Cross rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica on campus.
St. Paul of the Cross, you urge us to seek the “wisdom of the saints” in Jesus’ suffering and death—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Paul of the Cross is in the public domain. Last accessed October 4, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
