Word to the Wise
Sunday, September 19, 2021 - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Wis 2:12, 17-20; Jas 3:16-4:3; Mark 9:30-37]Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. [James] "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." [Mark]
One of the major frustrations of pastoral/apostolic life can be the human ambition for power, prestige and status. In today's gospel, after warning the disciples that his ministry would end in his death and resurrection, he hears them arguing over who among them is "the greatest." To counter this tendency, he chooses a child as an example of powerlessness. Indeed, in Jesus' time, children were considered a blessing, but they had no "rights" at all except maintenance!
Our American style of politics offers us many examples of the uses and abuses of power, but we do not have to look to that constant drama for examples. In every organization the distribution of power will be a challenge. Often the purpose and mission of the organization can be crippled by differences over who gets to do what. St. Paul calls attention to this in his First Letter to the Corinthians when he challenges them to stop dividing the mission according to personal loyalties to certain preachers who baptized them.
There are two basic challenges to us in all of this. The first is to be aware of our own ambitions and how we act on them. The second is to look at the mission of any community or organization and see how the different ambitions help or hinder the mission. This can be a parish or Catholic student center or a larger entity such as a diocese or even a conference of bishops or the curia in Rome! Jesus could be exasperated with the disciples and their ambitions, {"You do not know what you are asking for..." Mark 10:38]. That challenge is ours as well. AMEN