20210919 TRUE GREATNESS
19 September, 2021, Sunday, 25th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Wisdom 2:12,17-20 © |
The wicked prepare to ambush the just man
The godless say to themselves:
‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
‘Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 53(54):3-6,8 © |
The Lord upholds my life.
O God, save me by your name;
by your power, uphold my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth.
The Lord upholds my life.
For proud men have risen against me,
ruthless men seek my life.
They have no regard for God.
The Lord upholds my life.
But I have God for my help.
The Lord upholds my life.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart
and praise your name for it is good.
The Lord upholds my life.
Second reading | James 3:16-4:3 © |
The wisdom that comes from above makes for peace
Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.2Th2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 9:30-37 © |
Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me
Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
TRUE GREATNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 2:12, 17-20; Ps 54:3-6,8; Jas 3:16 – 4:3; Mk 9:30-37 ]
Today, everyone wants to be exalted on high. People seek wealth, power, glory and fame. Greed and ambition rule the hearts of man. We want to have more wealth and power so that we can be famous, admired by people, honoured by society, be treated differently and served like kings and queens. This explains why people are ruthless in offices, society and even in Church! Because when we are on top we can control everyone and everyone is at our service, beck and call. Yet, if we were to ask these people whether they were really happy in the process of striving to reach the top, and even when they reached the top, they will tell you that in truth, this kind of life only brings death.
As St James wrote, “Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done.” We find ourselves always envying those who are better than us and we desire to take over their positions or acquire their wealth and status. There is no rest and peace in our hearts. Every day, we are fighting and struggling with our competitors. Often, such competition leads us to evil, fraud, manipulation, dishonesty, bribery, and corruption because of selfishness and insecurity. Indeed, when we do not find peace and joy in our hearts in spite of our success and achievements, what is the reason? St James asked, “Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force.”
But worst of all, our hearts and minds can become so obsessed in satisfying our desires, that when our evil desires and selfishness are pointed out to us, we become hostile and react against those who seek to help us to find the right perspective of life. Instead of seeing the prophets that God sent to help us live a life of wisdom, we perceive them to be our enemies instead. The godless in the book of wisdom say to themselves, “Let us lie in wait for the virtuous men, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.”
What is a good life today for people in the world? A good life is measured in terms of luxury, prosperity, wealth, being pampered and served with whatever we desire. A good life is when all our cravings are fulfilled. Of course, this is an illusion. No one can be happy just with food and luxury. We will get sick and tired of the good food we have and the rich life we live. There is no end to the cravings in our hearts. The moment one craving is satisfied, when one’s goal is reached, we seek another because our hearts are always restless. Nothing on this earth can ever quench the thirst and hunger in our hearts.
St James helps us to orientate ourselves by asking, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” (Jas 3:13) A good life is when we live a life of wisdom, when what we do is for the good of all and for the love of humanity and for the greater glory of God. Such works is done with humility, resulting in a life of goodness, purity and peace towards other people. Such is a life of wisdom because its source is in God. St James says, “the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.” Indeed, evil comes from the Devil and our sinful and ignorant nature.
Hence, we must turn to Jesus who is the Wisdom of God in person to teach us to live a life of wisdom, of purity, peace and goodness. He made it a point to instruct His disciples who were competing with each other for greatness. They were envious of each other; perhaps, because of the appointment of Peter as the rock of the Church, giving him the keys of authority by the Lord, or they were not among the privileged ones chosen to encounter the Lord in His transfiguration. Perhaps especially because the other nine disciples who were left behind at the foot of the mountain were incapable of casting out an evil spirit from a boy suffering from epilepsy. Indeed, insecurity always breeds destructive conflicts, battle of the egos and even leading to killing. This was why the Lord prepared them for His imminent suffering and rejection by His enemies and opponents. In the context of His imminent death, all discussions about how being the greatest and most important are irrelevant. Indeed, in the context of our own death, how rich or how important we are is of no consequence, as we cannot carry a cent over to the next life, and even our names will be forgotten in history. In the context of death, everything is seen in perspective.
The truth is that in the eyes of God, we are all great. Greatness does not lie in what we do or what we achieve. We cannot make ourselves greater than what God has made us to be. The greatest thing on earth is not to be known as the Prime Minister or the President or the CEO but to be a child of God. Jesus guided His disciples to look at people in a new way, not by the standards of the world. God is against all the high and mighty, as the Magnificat tells us. “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” This explains why the Lord used the example of a child who was considered the least in society. “He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'” In other words, we are all God’s representatives on earth. All of us have the same value in the eyes of God. We have all been given the same gift of eternal life in Christ regardless of our status on earth. We are all equal when it comes to being heirs of God in Christ. No one is deprived of the free gift of salvation in Christ. Unfortunately, most of us take the free gifts of God for granted. While we might say that God’s gifts are the most important, yet in truth we value more those things that we have earned ourselves.
In the final analysis, greatness lies in humble service to all. “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.” Yes, we say to ourselves, we want to make this country great again, we want to make our church great again. What do we mean when we say we want to make ourselves great again? Great in terms of status, power, glory and wealth? Or great in terms of love, service, compassion and humility? Jesus invites us to change our priorities. Jesus redefined greatness, especially in leadership, as one who serves and makes himself last of all. Success for our Lord is being nailed to the cross and hung up as a spectacle for all to see and to die in shame. Admiration means to let the world humiliate and abuse us. And this is to prove that we are genuine in love and service, for the godless people are watching to see whether our words match our lives. They say, “Let us see if what he says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.”
Indeed, we must ask the right questions in life. Those who are truly great in life are those who leave behind a legacy of unselfish and humble service to all of humanity. Only those who have contributed to life and the well-being of their fellowmen are truly remembered with gratitude and thanksgiving. This is because instead of using the organization or people or the state to further their power or personal prestige, they used their talents to exalt God through their service to all. Indeed, what we need today is for leaders whose ambition is to be servants.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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