Word to the Wise
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Wednesday in the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Pet 1:18-25 and Mark 10:32-45]"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 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." [Mark]
"Politics and religion" are touchy subjects but they are not independent of one another. Perhaps that is why they can be the cause of much mischief. In the gospel scripture today, we have an example of "politicking" among the disciples. James and John, thinking in terms of the kind of government they were living under (Romans and their appointees), figured that Jesus' kingdom had to be similar and they wanted, as it were, to be members of the cabinet!!! But Jesus did not come to preach a political kingdom. He had just told the disciples what would happen to him and would happen to his followers, but the message didn't get through. Somehow the other disciples got wind of the "end run" and were "indignant." One wonders if they were being pious or just envious. Either way, Jesus had to bring them together for a blunt pep talk. Leadership in the kingdom of Jesus would mean service not rulership.
My own experience in religious life and ministry makes me very careful of "power." There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "Government is like frying small fish. It should be done with a light hand." Maybe a better example would be that of Jesus himself washing the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper. I've been a religious "superior" both locally and on the provincial level, and "washing the feet of the brethren" is what the job demanded. Whether it be Pope or bishop or pastor or religious superior, the example to follow is that of Jesus and not of political figures. The sad fact is that politics is more likely to shape faith than the other way around. Revisiting Jesus' "pep talk" from time to time can help us avoid that problem AMEN