20151018 Ordinary 29 B

James and John ask to be seated at the right and left of Jesus when he comes into his kingdom. The brothers are concerned about their status when Jesus leaves them and want to have a place of honor before the others. Jesus answers their request after he teaches a lesson. He asks if they can drink the cup that he will drink. There is a hidden message in these words. In Mediterranean culture, the head of the family fills the cups of everyone sitting at the table. Each person is expected to accept and drink what the head of the family has given them without grumbling or comment.
Jesus already knew what was in the cup that his Father would give him when he asked James and John if they could drink from the cup that he would drink. Both immediately answer that they can drink the cup that he would drink without understanding what was in the cup. They wanted the honored position of siting at Jesus’ side more than anything. Jesus leads them to understand that service to others is more important than an honored position in a group.
Jesus said “…. whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” It’s not about where we sit in the church, what committees we are on or lead, or how much time we volunteer to the church or the community. It’s about how we serve from our hearts. Blessed Mother Teresa is a great example of someone who served “the least of these” from her heart. I don’t think that Blessed Mother Teresa served to be great or first before anyone else. She served others from her heart because she loved Jesus so much.
Because of her service to others, she became known all over the world as a person who truly serves without expecting anything in return. Another person who serves others is Pope Francis. As the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was known for his simple life style, his humility, his emphasis on God’s mercy and his concern for the poor. Pope Francis spent his entire life serving others; it is not something he just started doing after he became Pope. He is an example to the world of true Christian living modeled after the principles of St Francis of Assisi.
St. Francis of Assisi is credited with saying, “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” This quote is very Franciscan in its spirit, but not something that St. Francis said. It does not appear in his writings or in the earliest biographies about him.
In Chapter seventeen of his Rule of twelve hundred twenty one, St Francis told the friars not to preach unless they had received the proper permission to do so. Then he added, “Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds.” The saying, “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” and the “Serenity Prayer” are easily identified with St Francis because they reflect his humble spirit of service to others.
Sometimes, serving requires inaction; that is waiting, siting with someone and listening. When our own Archbishop Sartain was assigned the task to meet with the religious women in the US, I wondered who had it in for him in Rome. It seemed like an impossible task. Yet two years later, the Sisters presented an agreement to the Pope in Rome. One of the sisters remarked that Archbishop Sartain listened. What a special blessing to have; the ability to sit and listen. She said he didn’t tell us what to do, he didn’t have solutions; he just listened. That is very rare in our world today. We all feel that we must go out and fix everything, even if it is not broken.
The Jewish approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam) dates from the beginning of the Children of Israel. Its meaning has changed slightly over time and today’s Jews literally mean to fix the world’s problems and make it a better place to live.
There are eight levels of giving. These range from taking the hand of a person and helping them to become economically strong so they no longer need to ask others for help, to giving because it is a duty but resenting that you give. Even giving for the wrong reason is considered important because giving to improve the dignity of the poor person over time may lead to giving from the heart.
Ultimately, the duty to protect the dignity of the poor is evident in the Talmud’s demand that “Even the poor person who lives entirely on charity must also give charity to another poor person; the indignity of receiving must be balanced by the dignity of giving.”
Tikkun Olam, Repairing the World, expects everyone to contribute to the wellbeing of those who are less fortunate. Jesus understood this explicitly when he said “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve…” Who did Jesus serve? During his entire ministry on earth, Jesus served the poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger and the immigrant. His message about the Kingdom of God was preached to the poor peasants, the oppressed – the “least of these” of society. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus commanded his disciples to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Our baptism calls us to follow Jesus’ instructions to make disciples of all nations. That can be extremely difficult at times. Many missionaries have given their lives to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. This is World Mission Sunday. Maybe God will call one or two of us to preach the Gospel to other nations. May those who are called, answer the call and serve our Lord teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded us.
Most of us will serve right here where we live. We serve by preaching the Gospel in the way we live our lives and only use words if necessary. We serve by praying daily for the missionaries who serve both near and far from home. We ask God to help the missionaries as they learn a new language and culture so they can walk with the people they serve and preach God’s love, baptize them and help them to become self-sufficient. We support the missionaries with our financial gifts. We provide the money our missionaries need to be able to preach the Gospel, to baptize and then teach all that Christ commanded us.
God will give us the strength and stamina to make the world a better place to live by the work and witness we live as we serve others. It takes a lot of effort to make a change but it is worth it. Are we willing to spend the time and effort to serve others; especially the poor, the weak, the sick, the homeless? Are we willing to spend an extra five minutes a day in prayer that God will lead the missionaries as they serve others? Are we willing to forgo just one cup of coffee or one soda a week so we can support the missionaries with our gifts?
Please give a generously as you are able to continue the work of preaching the Gospel to all nations.