Walking after the example of Jesus
october 20, 2024 | 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Isaiah 53, 10-11; Ps. 32; Hebrews 4: 14-16; Mark 10:35-45 | Mission Sunday
Friends, we celebrate today the Mission Sunday and we pray for vocations. Last Sunday our main question was about eternal life. What must I do in order to inherit eternal life? Today’s liturgy is trying to answer the same question. Every spiritual action, every decision, and every move in our daily life is supposed to bring us closer to God and his eternal kingdom.
Becoming a servant like Christ.
Contrary to James and John, both, sons of Zebedee and the other disciples in today’s gospel, Jesus, the humble and suffering servant is teaching us that the kingdom of God is not about positions of power and honor, domination and arrogance, privileges and worldly promotions, but it is all about humility and service. The greatest among us must be the servant of all. Jesus himself is our role model. He came to serve and not to be served and willingly gave his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The suffering servant song of Isaiah that we read today describes Jesus as the scapegoat mentioned in the book of Levitus 16:10. Jesus was the unblemished Lamb who was sacrificed for our sins but he was glorified. Following Jesus requires our daily sacrifices, our loving service for God and for others and a life of humility.
Approaching the throne of grace with assurance
We must be aware of who Jesus is truly for us. Jesus is the High and excellent Priest who is capable of sympathizing with us in all our weaknesses (Cf. Hebrews 4:15). As the High Priest, he offers prayers for us and offers himself as a pure sacrifice for us, therefore let us approach his throne of grace with confidence in order to obtain mercy and find grace in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16). On this very Sunday, in spite of all that has disqualified us from the kingdom, Jesus keeps inviting us to approach him with confidence because his throne is not a throne of rejection, but a throne that embraces all; it is not a judgemental throne or a throne of criticism but a throne of grace. That is why he tells us on this mission Sunday that:
“The Son of man came to give his life in ransom for the multitude” (Mt 10:45)
Let us also become a sign of compassion, hope and grace for our brothers and sisters. How do we sympathise with those who are weak or with those with some bad character?
God’s mercy is always available for us!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to follow your example of humble service. Teach us to love others as you love us. Give us the strength to serve selflessly and seek Your Kingdom above all. Amen.
Fr. Georges Roger Bidzogo sac
Living The Gospel this Week. Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:10-11)
Isaiah in this passage describes a servant who takes on pain and sorrow to bring healing and forgiveness. This is indeed what Jesus willingly did in order to save us from our sins.
As we give thanks to God today during our Harvest weekend, the sacrifice reminds us of his love for us and calls us to love others in the same way. Our little sacrifices: financial support to the church, forgiving and bearing one another’s burdens and share in their suffering are not made in vain. God will reward each of us accordingly!
Follow Jesus’s example and embrace and embrace any opportunity of giving as a sign of love and service.
Reflect on the love of Christ by being kind and generous to those around you.
Meditate on Mother Teresa words: “The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace!”
May God grant us the grace to fulfill our mission of building up the kingdom of God here on earth!
Fr. Georges Roger Bidzogo sac
God bless you