Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

Gospel Reading: Matthew 20:17-28

 

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve (disciples) aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left (, this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus again prophesies his death and resurrection. Hearing the news, the mother of James and John came to him and said, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” In response, Jesus asks them, “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”. While they reply, “We can”, Jesus tells them, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” The passage says that when the ten heard what had happened, they became angry and annoyed at James and John. Why should they get to sit at the right hand of Jesus and not us? Why are they so special? To sit at the right hand would be to claim that you are superior to the others. Jesus says, “whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.” To sit at the right hand of the father, we must be willing to sacrifice everything we have. We must be willing to surrender our total life to God. We must detach ourselves from this world to truly accept the kingdom of heaven.  That means that we must be willing to become a slave to others. Jesus did not come to earth to “Lord over us” but to free us from the bonds of sin. To do so, we must drink the cup of Christ. This cup involves true sacrifice. Jesus shed his blood for us. We also must be willing to make that sacrifice for others. During Lent, who is more important – you or your fellow man? What do you desire more – your own worldly goods or to cloth and feed those who have nothing? To sit at the right hand of the Father is not an easy request. You must be willing to lead the sacrificial life we are called to live.

 

A Simple Prayer

Lord God, you are my master and my ruler.

Give me the strength and wisdom to drink from your cup.

I want to carry the cross which leads others to heaven

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon