Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - Tuesday in the 7th Week in Ordinary Time
[Jas 4:1-10 and Mark 9:30-37]"If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all." Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me." [Mark]
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024 TUESDAY IN THE 7TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
[James 4:1-10 and Mark 9:30-37]
"If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all." Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me." [Mark]
The season of Easter came to an end with the celebration of the feast of Pentecost. The scriptures for daily Eucharist pick up from where we left off on Mardi Gras Day and the 7th week in Ordinary time.
The words of Jesus from the Gospel According to Mark in today's gospel scripture follow one of his predictions of his passion and resurrection. As usual, in that gospel, the disciples fail to understand his words and begin to quarrel about who is more important in the group. Jesus calls them together for some sober words about power and prestige. To illustrate his words, he chooses a child! In the Greco-Roman world, a child had no rights whatsoever (in contrast with our cultural ways). Jesus tells the disciples that they have to become like children - powerless!
The struggle to follow Jesus' words continually plays out in the Church. Lord Acton's dictum: "Power corrupts..." is manifested over and over again. Anyone in a position of service in the Church should remember those words. Humility and authority sometimes exist in an uneasy relationship! Pope Francis continually reminds the various branches of the vast Vatican bureaucracy that they are there to serve and not to rule! The same reminder should apply to any Church (or, for that matter, any civil/political) role in which decisions must be made for the common good - whether it be diocesan or parochial. It seems, often, that disciples of every age and time need to revisit Jesus' words and strive to understand and live them out. AMEN