RBWords

 

     I hold the position of "Prior" in the Dominican priory of Holy Rosary in Houston, TX.  This means I am the religious "superior" of the Dominican friars who are assigned here and who minister in various ways in Houston.  My own ministry makes the position of "Prior" more challenging because I am an itinerant preacher.  It's a bit like having a family and making one's living as a traveling salesman!  I can tell you, I did not "wish" to have the position, but my brothers elected me anyhow!  So, I have to be "first among equals."

 

     Jesus responds to an argument amongst the disciples who shamefacedly admit to having argued about who was the greatest among them!  Status problems are nothing new!  There are people who make their living deciding who sits where and next to whom at big political and social occasions.  This was true in Jesus' time as well.  Who you ate with and where you sat at table was very important in a culture where "honor" is a crucial value!  Jesus picks out the person in the crowd with the least "status" [children in Jesus' time did not have the kinds of attention and status that they have in our day], and says that the disciples must accept that least position if they wish to be "great." 

 

     To be a "prior" or religious superior means to be a "servant" - to "wash the feet of the brethren."  I have some very good friars to serve and they in turn serve one another in various roles in the community.  Nevertheless, the "buck" has to stop somewhere, as we well know, and I'm the "stopping place/person."  It is a challenge and I'm glad there is a term on it of three years.  Jesus' words are a constant reminder of what it is all about.   AMEN