Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 18, 2015 - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Isa 53:10-11; Heb 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45]SUNDAY,, OCTOBER 18, 2015 TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME [Isaiah 53:10-1; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45] "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 early Christian community, and the great Church Fathers/Mothers learned to read the Old Testament in the light of their understanding of Jesus. It took awhile for all the documents of the New Testament to find their way into a single collection. In the case of Jesus' statement, quoted above, at the end of his admonition to the disciples about ambition, the community turned to the Book of Isaiah and the figure of the suffering servant. This enabled them to see Jesus' own suffering as the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation. At the same time, their own suffering on behalf of their faith took on new meaning. It is also echoed in today's second scripture from Hebrews in the "sympathetic" High Priest who was "tested in every way." The two ambitious disciples had to realize that the power they wanted was illusory. The real power would come in service and suffering. This is where discipleship receives its meaning. This does not at all exclude joy and laughter in service, but it does mean that discipleship is not a political thing. Watch out for those "seats of honor," because they will collapse! AMEN Sent from my iPhone
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