Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Gospel Reading: Mark 9:30-37

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise." 32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him. 33 And they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?" 34 But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." 36 And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

Is it not like man to always want to be top dog. We all want to be first but Jesus tells us that we must last to be first. This goes against human nature. None of us enter a race to finish last and none of us enter a competition to be defeated. Human ambition tells us that we must be first to satisfied. But Jesus tells us that we must be willing to sacrifice everything we have to be first in the kingdom of God. When we seek a path to heaven, we must find the trail which requires total abandonment. We must be willing to abandon all our worldly goods and possessions. We must become a servant to the needs of man. To bask in the glory and honor of God, one must be willing to burden the cross. One must be willing to make sacrifices. Jesus embraces a young child to demonstrate his message. Children were the very bottom of the Jewish society. They were equivalent to the house servants. By embracing this child, Jesus elevated the small child to a position of honor. When we go out into the world, who is it that we seek; the healthy or the sick; the rich or the poor. To be greatest in the kingdom of God requires us to humble ourselves for the benefit of others. We must be willing to abandon our own needs for the needs of others. If we are to fill ourselves with the glory of God, we must empty ourselves of our own vanity. When you look in the mirror, what do see?

A Simple Prayer

Lord, you have given me the greatest example.

You came to be my servant and now I must learn to be the servant of man.

Help me to humble myself before my fellow man.

Help me to seek the glory of God through the abandonment of my vanity.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon