25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Wis 2:12, 17-20; Jas 3:16-4:3; Mk 9:30-37

A judge, a bishop and a politician were having a discussion. All three were rather vain men, and their talk soon turned to the question of which of them was the greatest.

“Well,” said the judge, “my position is one of dignity and power. When I walk into the courtroom, the bailiff says ‘All rise!’ and all the people stand to pay me honor.”

“That's very nice,” said the bishop. “People would stand in your honor; but when people have an audience with me they would kneel, kiss my ring, and they address me as ‘Your Excellency.’”

The politician snorted and said, “I think I got you both beat; every time I run for office and make my promises on the podium, the people would look down, put their hands over their eyes, and say ‘Oh, my God!’”

(The story is an adaptation of the joke of Michael Bowman)

In contrary to what some people think, greatness is the goal of all Christians. In the gospel, Jesus challenges his followers, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all’” (Mk 9:35). Disciples must aim for the first place in the kingdom of God, but they have to reach their objective not at the cost of others but in favor of others. Christians would gain merits through their genuine acts of service for one another.

Why is servanthood a crucial element of greatness? In the second reading, James identifies the main causes of conflict and war between people and nations: “Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind” (3:16). Selfish interests would bring about unhealthy competition, chaos and suffering. In contrast, the spirit of service would bring joy, prosperity and peace in people’s lives. In service, people would benefit from the greatness of one person. Instead of raising himself above others, the true servant raises others with him. Thus, whoever excels in serving is great in the eyes of God. The Lord Jesus is the greatest precisely because he is the servant of all, giving his life for the well-being of humanity.

Jesus holds a little child and declares, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me” (Mk 9:37). While children in our culture are in many ways highly treasured, in ancient Middle Eastern culture they were considered less valuable. Children were loved, yes; but they had no legal status and, like slaves, they had no rights. For Jesus, children represent the most powerless and most vulnerable of society – the old, the disabled, the sick, the widows and orphans, the laborers, the prostitutes and the poorest of the poor. Because they are the least of all, the Lord considers them as top priority of his disciples’ attention. Anyone who comes to the rescue of a needy person is serving no less than Jesus himself.

Serving the good of the poor and the powerless is a way of sharing the cross of Christ. When we do this, we might find ourselves being criticized, accused and persecuted. People might call us leftist, revolutionary or communist. Remember what Dom Helder Camara once said: “When I give bread to the poor, they call me a saint; but when I ask why people are poor, they call me a communist.” The first reading tells us how the wicked would do everything to stop a righteous person from doing what is good (Wis 2:12, 17-20.). The Psalmist, however, assures us that the righteous will prevail because God will come to his aid and will uphold his life (Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6-8).

During the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations in 1983, the film Mother Teresa was shown to the representatives of all member countries of the U.N. After the screening, the Secretary General, Javier Perez de Cuellar, stood up and introduce Mother Teresa to the assembly. “Ladies and gentlemen”, he began, “I present to you the most powerful woman in the world!”

For the world to recognize power in the person of this weak and elderly nun is quite unbelievable. And yet, people see in Mother Teresa the power of humble, sacrificial, and Christian service.