Aspiring to Greatness by Serving Others

Aspiring to Greatness by Serving Others

October 21, 2012, 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 53:10-11   Hebrews 4:14-16    Mark 10:35-45
 

Alleluia, alleluia.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
Glory to you, Lord.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do something for us." He asked, "What is it you want me to do?" They answered him, "Grant that when you come into your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." Jesus said to them, "You don’t know what you’re asking for. Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering from which I must drink? Or be baptized with the baptism of suffering with which I must be baptized? "We can." Jesus answered. “You will indeed drink from my cup and be baptized with My baptism, but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. Those appointments have already been made.”

When the other disciples heard what James and John had requested they were very indignant. Jesus summoned them and said," As you know, kings and other important people of this world like to lord it over other people. But it shouldn’t be that way with you. Among you, whoever aspires to greatness must be the servant of the rest. And whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Introduction

`The rolling year’

October 21 is the 294th day of the year, and there only 71 days remaining in what used to be the `new’ year of 2012. We are at that time of `the rolling year’ when things start moving fast: Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, and then New Years 2013.

No clue about true greatness

In Matthew’s gospel it is not the sons but the mother who’s making the self-seeking request: “Teacher, promise that these two sons of mine will sit at your right and your left when you come into your kingdom." (Mt. 20:21) If it is the mother who’s making such a request, then she’s sending a wrong message to her sons. She has no clue as to where her sons’ (or her own) greatness lies. Jesus puts her and her sons straight: “Among you, whoever aspires to greatness must be the servant of the rest. And whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.” (Mk 10:43-44)

We recall the story of Wanda Holloway,  a Texas mother who, like the mother of the sons of Zebedee, had no clue whatsoever where the greatness of her children lie. Sorely wanting her daughter to get on the cheerleaders’ team, she tried to hire a hit-man to kill the mother of her daughter's cheerleading rival! She hoped that would upset the girl so much she wouldn’t be able to compete successfully. Her insane plot was discovered, she was taken to court, tried and given probation.  Her story was made into a 1992 television film entitled Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story. The poor woman had no clue whatsoever where the greatness of her daughter (and of herself) lay.

Pope John XXIII – a great servant

On the day of Pope John XXIII’s `coronation,’ Nov. 4, 1958,  Cardinal Nicola Canali placed a tiara on his head, and uttered that age-old formula: ”Know that thou art the father of princes and kings, pontiff of the whole world and vicar of Christ on earth.” In his homily that day, however, Pope John said he wanted his pontificate to be guided by the example of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve. (Mk 10:45) The next day John quietly sped out of elaborate Vatican gates to visit prisoners in Regina Coeli prison in Rome, because ( he quipped) “You couldn’t come to me.” He also visited aging clergy in nursing homes. With such gestures at the beginning of his pontificate Good Pope John indicated the tone and tenor of his papacy: he was going to be a servant. By his wonderful but all too short papacy John kept his promise to be true to the greatest of the many titles given a pope: Servus Servorum Dei – Servant of the Servants of God. The whole Church and even the whole world loved this great servant.

 

Father Mychal Judge - a great servant

Franciscan Fr. Mychal Judge, (1933-2001) was a compassionate servant of the needy and forgotten of New York City, and a beloved chaplain of the N.Y. City Fire Department. The story of his selfless life and heroic death in the line of duty as chaplain of the fire department was one of the first to come out of the horrendous 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.
Every Christmas Eve, Fr. Judge would walk up Ninth Avenue, in his brown habit and sandaled feet, carrying a baby doll wrapped in a towel, to a shelter for abused and homeless women. There he would place the doll on a table which served as the altar for Mass, and would ask the women: “Where do you think baby Jesus would want to be to be tonight?” Then he’d answer his own question: “Right here with you, celebrating his birthday.”

On the horrific day of 9/11/2001 Fr. Mychal rushed to administer the last rites to a dying fireman. Suddenly debris came crashing down upon him, and he died there on the spot. His body was carried off to a nearby church and laid upon an altar. And when a Month's Mind Memorial was held for  Fr. Mychal on October 11, 2001, an endless flow of priests, nuns, lawyers, cops, firefighter, homeless people, rock-and-rollers, recovering alcoholics, local politicians and middle age couples from the suburbs streamed into Good Shepherd Chapel on Ninth Ave to do a memorial for this great servant of New York City.

Bishop Ken Untener - a great servant

Kenneth Edward Untener (1937- 2004) was the Bishop of Saginaw, Michigan. His first words to the people of his diocese were: "My name is Ken, and I am your waiter. I will be your waiter for a very long time.” Then he proceeded to serve his people. He sold the bishop's mansion, and for the next 24 years lived in 69 rectories. The trunk of his car became his office. Servant Untener courageously invited his Church to reopen an honest and transparent discussion on birth control. (His invitation was not well received.) And on the issue of divorce he said, “I am not here to condemn divorced people, nor am I here to condone them. I am here to help them. Jesus did not come to condemn or condone the woman caught in adultery; He came to help her.” `Ken’ did such a wonderful job of being the people’s `waiter’ that a throng of 1800 people attended his funeral Mass on April 1, 2004. The church that day resounded with a strange mix of crying and laughing, and it joyously rang out with audible `Amens’ and a standing ovation.  Bishop `Ken’ had wonderfully kept his promise to be a `waiter’-  to be a great servant of the people of Saginaw.

Archbishop Hunthausen - a great servant

The former Archbishop of Seattle, Raymond Hunthausen (b.1921) served especially the poor and the marginalized of his archdiocese. He spoke out courageously about controversial issues in the Church, like artificial contraception and homosexuality. In a letter on July 1, 1977, he publicly defended the rights of gays and lesbians. He permitted a homosexual group called Dignity to hold its own Mass in his cathedral. “They're Catholics too,” he explained. "They need a place to pray.” Some people in Seattle managed to have Rome strip him of some of his episcopal authority, because “his lack of clarity about homosexuality had confused the faithful.” Archbp. Hunthausen is a great servant, dearly beloved by the Church of Seattle.  

Cardinal Martini - a great servant

Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, former archbishop of Milan died on Friday, August 31- 2012 at the age of 85.He diplomatically espoused liberal views on a range of controversial subjects, such as priestly celibacy, Communion for remarried Catholics, homosexuality, the right to die, condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS, and even the ordination of women as deacons. Though such openness often put him at odds with his Church, it forged an exceptional bond with the city of Milan and its people. More than 150,000 people filed past his coffin. Despite the rain, thousands watched the funeral on giant screens set up outside the cathedral. Among those who packed into the cathedral to pay their last respects were a radical and gay fo_her communist governor and also the leader of Italy's conservative Christian Democrats. In the cathedral were also representatives from the Islamic and Judaic communities, as well as representatives from Orthodox, Protestant and Coptic Christianity for Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini was a great servant to all different kinds of people.

Cardinal Quarterback Kurt Warner - a great servant

Years ago Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinal quarterback and winner of NFL’s MVP award) was a stock boy in a supermarket. One day he was called to do a carryout job for a very nice looking girl named Brenda. Next day he offered to drive her home; he looked harmless and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked whether he could see her again, and take her out. When she explained she had two children and couldn't afford a baby-sitter, he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. When Saturday night came and he arrived at the door, she said she couldn’t go because the babysitter had cancelled out on her. Kurt suggested they take the kids along, but Brenda quickly responded that that wasn’t an option. She presented her pretty daughter to Kurt. And then she presented her son: a paraplegic with Down syndrome, and in a wheelchair! To her utter amazement, Kurt suggested they take the kids along. Most men would take off at high speed from such a situation; that’s what Brenda’s former husband had done. That evening Kurt and Brenda loaded up the kids for dinner and the movies. When the son needed to go to the rest room, Kurt picked up the little guy and carried him to the rest room. The kids loved him. A year later, they were married. Kurt adopted both of her children. Since then they have added five more kids of their own. Kurt Warner is a great servant, beloved not only by his family but by all who know his story.  

Conclusion

Aspiring to greatness by serving

Our culture stresses the strong virtues like aggression, ambition and competition. Our culture entertains its kids with electronic games in which human beings are smashing the faces of other human beings and blowing off each other’s heads. So it’s difficult to make sense out of the Gospel injunction  ”to aspire to greatness by becoming the servant of the others.” In counter-culture, however, one aspires to greatness by serving others. Quarterback Kurt Warner is great not because he was winner of NFL’s MVP award. He’s great because he packed up Brenda and her two kids and took them to dinner and the movies. He’s great because he picked up the little paraplegic son and carried him to the rest room. He’s great because he married Brenda (`dumped’ by her first husband) and instantly became the father of two needy kids.