Servant of All

The gospel this week is a story of ambition, even cloaked in good intentions. A mother wants her sons in the best place, and they pick up that ambition from her. The apostles see James and John as wanting to be tops with Jesus.   He accepts all this, but let them know that to be close to him means to suffer with him, and to be a servant.

Many times we see this in the gospel: giving a cup of cold water to a needy person was what a good person did, “washing the guests’’ feet was what a servant did. Jesus brought service even further – to serve like him was to serve god his Father, because that was what his mission on earth would be.

We hear often of the servant church – it means that the community of Jesus’ followers are at the service of people, to make better conditions of life, to live and share with compassion in the hardships of others, to care for the earth and protect it. This service people is the service of God. In that mission Jesus would be misunderstood, and eventually put to death.
(Focusing on the image left, when was the last time you served a fellow traveller of life  with any of Christ’s  signs of Discipleship)

Even after death we see Jesus as a sort of servant of the apostles – reaching out to them to share his joy and consolation. He would be the one to walk with them in their doubts, fears and disappointments. He now seems to want to be a servant of others through us also in his risen life.

Think of the day ahead or the week,
and offer yourself in the service of the Lord to someone needy
Lord may I serve you and be with you in all I do and care for.

(Gospel Reflection courtesy of Catholic Ireland.)