October 20
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.”
Readings
Reflection
This week we are confronted with the idea that humility is the best way to approach the Kingdom of God.
What the readings focus on is how important it was for Jesus to come as a servant rather than a conquering hero in order to deliver God’s children from slavery to sin. There is no doubt that Jesus could have come to Earth and waged a war against the armies that kept people like Caesar and Herod in power. But if he had done so, God’s desire to have people choose him over the sinful ways of this world would have gone by the wayside. God wants us to make our decision to follow him on our own, and forcing us to do so through physical and spiritual dominance does not lend itself to free will. Thus, we see Jesus as the servant of all, rather than the political dominator he could be.
In the first reading from Isaiah, we see Jesus portrayed as the one “who gives his life as an offering for sin.” The writer of the letter to the Hebrews speaks of Jesus as the “great high priest who has passed through the heavens,” someone who suffered greatly for the sins of mankind so he can be the one priest who speaks to God on our behalf. In Mark’s Gospel, we see James and John asking Jesus if they could sit at his right and his left when he comes into his glory. Jesus responds to this appeal to a favored position by telling the disciples that he came “to give his life as a ransom for the many,” not to become the ruler of the Gentiles.
It is this humble servant whom we follow, not some warrior-king who came and, for a time, dominated the world. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross stands for all time as the means by which sin and death are conquered. Let us follow him in humility and service to our fellow man. Let us choose Jesus.
Keep the faith,
Deacon Dare
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