SON AND SERVANT.
October 20, 2024.
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B.
“For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mk 10:45
An Irish proverb says: “A good servant makes a good master.”
A Yemeni proverb adds: “The master of the people is their servant.”
Son though he was, the Lord chooses to be a Servant and live
and die as a Servant. We are talking about the great kenosis, the abasement of
Jesus, the Son of God who became Son of Man, and Servant of God and Men,
suffered and died on the Cross for men's salvation. Two expressions will run
the whole of our meditation today, Son and Servant. Sons have rights, servants
have duties and obligations.
In the Bible, the terms "son" and
"servant" can have different meanings, depending on the context. In
terms of inheritance, a son is an heir to his father's possessions, even before
he can contribute to the family. A servant is not an heir and will inherit
nothing. In terms of relationships, the son has more privileges. The son's
relationship with his parents determines how he relates to his environment. A
servant's relationship with his environment is based on his assigned duties and
work. The horizon could also be widened to discuss faithfulness, obedience, and
purpose.
One of the most important revelations we can have as
believers is that we are sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ.
Another interesting thing, however, is that though we are sons of God, we are
also servants of God at the same time. The two do not cancel each other out but
complement each other. We are sons, but we discover our true sonship or
filiation to God by being his obedient and faithful servants. A son who refuses
to serve turns into an illegitimate son. Serving God means serving and loving
our brothers and sisters, especially the most in need, the poor, the
marginalized, and the outcasts. Don Orione would speak of "Servants of
Christ and the Poor." Because genuine discipleship is to become servants
of Jesus Christ in the person of the poor. Who then are you? Are you a son? Are
you a servant?
The readings, on this 29th Sunday in the Ordinary Time,
exhort us to embody the Lord, who, though he was a Son, chooses to become a
servant and suffered the fate of a faithful docile servant. One word could
serve as a bridge and connecting point of our three readings: Servant. Isaiah
speaks of the servant of God. The letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the
High Priest, the Servant of servants. In the Gospel, Jesus invites us to
discover the position of authority as a service. The Prophet Isaiah leads us in
the destiny of the suffering servant of God. In this supremely important
chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah, the Prophet describes in graphic detail the
crucifixion of Christ that will take place eight centuries later.
The most important tasks in life are not that which shine in
brightness, but that which identify us the most to Jesus. The Letter to the
Hebrews speaks of Christ as the Summus Sacerdos, the High Priest. The descriptions
and listed qualities of him in this letter make him the greatest model of
perfect priesthood all should imitate. He is shown as able to sympathize with
our weaknesses; one who became one of us in all the ways, except sin; one who
chooses to live our lives and die on our behalf; one who loved and served until
the end. In Jesus, Priesthood becomes truly a self-sacrifice, and authority a
service of love. These words sound like a warning to us priests, and to anyone
who holds a position of authority in society and our offices, communities, and
families. No matter how little is your authority, see it as a service and
fulfill your duties with love. Do not lord it over the people under your care.
Love and serve them.
And so, we come to the masterpiece of today’s liturgy, the
Gospel. We read that two brothers, James and John approached the Lord with a
request dear to them, and they wanted to be done, costs what it may cost:
“Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your
left.” In one word, they were seeking authority. They were thirsting for
position and power. The Lord will open them to a reality, the true meaning of
authority, that is to be servants and not lords. He gives first his own
experience: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to
give his life as a ransom for many.” And then, he invites the twelves to do the
same: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever
wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” You who hold position
and authority, do you find these words of the Lord calling on you?
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