November 17, 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL

Daniel 12: 1-3 + Psalm 16 + Hebrews 10: 11-14, 18 + Mark 13: 24-32

Time is a human invention. It is so basic to our way of life that we often forget that time is something we’ve made up. Some experts believe that the measurement of time began with agriculture since knowing when to plant required a calendar. We know from history that the first mechanical clocks were found in monasteries replacing the sun dial because they worked in the dark when monks kept their obligation to pray at fixed hours of the night. 

We have discovered that time is precious with so many activities and obligations crowded into our day. It is so precious that anxiety and sometimes fear of the future creeps into our lives so much so that many will hear the words of this Gospel and be convinced that the end of time is near and it will be terrifying. I’ve always found it amusing to hear self-appointed prophets announce the end of the world. Shakers thought it would be 1792, but John Wesley preferred 1794. With all the hymns he wrote, I’m amazed he did not write one about that. For Jehovah Witnesses it was 1915, then 1918 five times later they said it would 1994. I questioned one of their missionaries about that when they came to my door in 1996. He wandered off a bit confused.

Jesus talks about the end too using the language and images of his day taken from the Old Testament. I suspect that if he were to speak to us right now about the end of time, he would probably use scientific terms and images. We’re more used that than the Old Testament. He might describe the sun using up its energy and this blue rock we’re on would turn to an ice cube and fly off into the universe. He might talk about us destroying everything with a nuclear explosion or some asteroid crashing into this planet.

What we ought to do with this text though is not waste time trying to guess when the end will come, and it is just as useless to try and imagine how. What Mark is calling us to do is not look up into the sky or run around preparing for some cataclysm as though we were preparing for the next hurricane. Mark is urging us to transform our time to the time of God. Mark has no desire to frighten us, but to renew our hope during times of chaos and confusion. He writes to remind us that some of the things we treasure, like our careers, the IRA we depend upon, and even our health will one day be no more. Our separation from them may well be bitter and distressing, but if we are rooted with faith in God’s providence remembering that our precious time on earth could be used to draw us closer into the transforming presence of God, there is nothing to fear.

Mark’s Jesus does not picture the future in detail. No one knows the time of redemption, and he is not telling us what it will look like. All he needs us to know is that suffering will not be the last word — that the one who stands at the end of history is the same one who stood at its beginning. Holding to faith in Jesus Christ, using the Gospel as the compass of our lives will see us through. With every change in direction, with every wrinkle of age, with every changing world and passing stage, we shall always inherit the promise of the Resurrection. That is how Jesus Christ faced his own end in time, endured his own suffering, and that is why he came from a tomb where there was no time into the time of God.

November 10, 2024 This homily is for publication only as I am at St Gregory Abbey in Oklahoma

1 Kings 17: 10-16 + Psalm 146 + Hebrews 9: 24-28 + Mark 12: 38-44

More often than not, we are often tempted to read or hear the Gospel as an historical text that tells us about how things were a long time ago safely distancing ourselves from issues being confronted the Gospel writer and the words and behavior of Jesus. It is a spiritually dangerous practice that runs the risk of having us receive the greater condemnation Jesus speaks of this week.

There is no way to pretend that the focus of this Gospel and its message is for someone else or some other time. The issue Jesus confronts here has gone away with time. And while on the surface we might like to think that the issue is hypocrisy, we would be confusing a symptom for the disease. What gets the attention of Jesus is not really the pompous behavior of the scribes. It is the fact that under their watch the poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer. That is what was happening to the widows. They got poorer while those expected to oversee their care are getting rich off of them. It’s not a problem from the past, and Jesus still speaks clearly and forcefully about this matter finding it intolerable. An institution, a community, a church that is formed to be counter cultural must find in these verses a serious challenge and a call to action.

Most of us have no concept about the real disparity that exists all around us either because it bothers us and challenges our security and privilege or because we just don’t know what to do about it. It’s upsetting to be reminded that most people in this world struggle to keep food on the table, pay bills and taxes, keep homes from foreclosure or pay their rent much less have any health insurance. There are some who will say they don’t want to hear about this in church because they come expecting to feel good. We might wonder if their Bibles include Chapter 12 of Mark’s Gospel.

Cutbacks are always on the table for some politicians while the burden of those cutbacks are always born by the people who are hidden and voiceless. That is what Jesus is observing here. To prevent new taxes on the rich, the handicapped, the homeless, the addicts and the working poor suffer more, and who speaks for them? Jesus does, and it should be for all of us who follow him.

This old priest is becoming more and more aware of a trend that I find deeply distressing. Social Justice is something we hardly hear about anymore in the western world’s church. To fill the gap and the silence there is all kind of talk and programs about piety and holiness, holy hours, and pilgrimages. Meanwhile, nothing changes for the very people Jesus cares about the most. They suffer silently.

Most of the abuses they suffer are not done with evil intention. They are not personal. No one wants to hurt a poor widow or a hungry child. In fact, we easily get emotional about it, but rarely do we get rational about it. The scribes were not hateful. They were part of a system that was be perpetuated from generation to generation. They did not create it. It was a system that ran on its own. The only way to stop it was for there to be a desire to stop it.

We hardly notice that we are part of a similar system that takes advantage over the vast majority of people in this world. All the privileges we take for granted really come at someone else’s expense. We shop for the what is least expensive and pride ourselves on being thrifty. Meanwhile, people we never see or hear about are working in sweatshops, some are children doing that in unsafe conditions when they should be in school or just out playing. People are dying in wars that really being fought over gasoline. Exploitation is the issue, and blind greed, power, and privilege fuel it without question. 

This is a hard text to read, to hear, and explore humbly and honestly. We cannot be a humble and faithful follower of Jesus Christ without embracing his concern and his passion for justice. A religion without a mission for justice is phony and a sham. The holiest people I know were never particularly pious, but they were passionate for victims of exploitation, the poor, the forgotten. Many of them, in our life time have been real martyrs murdered because the powerful in positions of leadership have seen them as a threat to their privilege and wealth. What are we to make of this? What is it Jesus asks except for us to find and work with leaders who will fire up a desire to change, and help us be willing to pay the price.

November 3, 2024 This is homily if for this publication only as I am at St Gregory Abbey in Oklahoma

Deuteronomy 6: 2-6 + Psalm 18 + Hebrews 7: 23-28 + Mark 12: 28-34

The text we are given today is the simple straightforward essence of our faith. Our personal reflection on what can bring us close to the Kingdom of God is right there, Knowledge of God’s love. Yet, we ought to wonder if “close” good enough. Entering the Kingdom of God requires something more, and while it might be simple it is far from easy. If it were easy, there would be no need for a commandment.

Jesus insists that you cannot love God without loving others and upholding justice and dignity for all. When that justice and dignity for another person is denied or withheld, there is no love of God. At this point the cost of the Kingdom is right in front of us. There is a price to pay for following Jesus and for entering the Kingdom of God. Close is not good enough.

What is before us all through Mark’s Gospel is the mission of Jesus Christ to reconcile the world to God, to mend this world’s brokenness and restore the dream of God for a world where all are fed, where water is clean for all the thirsty, where young and old are cherished, where all of God’s children know respect and dignity no matter their race, gender or sexual orientation. 

It is not difficult to understand why no one dared to ask any more questions. Stunned by the enormity of the task and conscious of our frailty and our brief time on this earth, the majesty and mystery of God’s Kingdom can leave us heartbroken so out of reach it has become. Yet, when we choose to be with and for someone when another is suffering or in need, there is always a sign of hope that this world so desperately needs. A phone call to someone we have missed or forgotten, helping a neighbor before being asked, encouraging a young person with a smile or compliment while they look for their place in this world, taking dinner to a grieving family, all these simple things take us into the Kingdom of God. 

Easy as these may be however, there are more difficult things asked of us as well. Challenging the status quo is perhaps the supreme example of self-giving love that gives evidence that we are growing in grace and commitment. There are deeply rooted attitudes, behaviors, customs, and even some man-made laws that violate the basic dignity God’s children. The courage to speak up, and even act up is the kind of love we see in Jesus Christ.

No wonder there were no more questions, and why should there be? Since Jesus has come among us, there is no more need for questions or for talk. It’s time to act.

November 1, 2024 This homily is for this publication only as I am at St. Gregory Abbey in Oklahoma

Revelations 7: 2-4, 9-14 + Psalm 24 + 1 John 3: 1-3 + Matthew 5: 1-12

Growing up in a very “Catholic home,” I was surrounded by saints. There was a statue or two in every bedroom, and easily that many pictures on walls. Their stories were known by all the kids because the Sisters would fill in their lesson plans with those stories when the material ran short. The classrooms had more statues than our home.

The Jesuit, James Martin, published a book called: “My Life with the Saints.” In that book he says that he could easily recognize himself, or at least parts of himself in their stories. I can’t make that claim. The Saints that the Church has recognized for their outstanding holiness never lived my life. They would find it dull and far too routine. I sometimes think that if they had lived my life, they wouldn’t have become saints! The Saints that I really know about had heroic lives, some suffered terrible cruelty, and some were murdered or surrendered their lives for their faith, for the sake of justice, or simply for other people. If I’m really honest with myself, I am not sure today that I could do that.

Yet, when I really think about it, I suspect that those great heroic Saints never set out to be heroes or planned to be saintly. Not long ago, on the evening news, a man who had jumped into a lake to pull a woman and two children out of sinking car was being interviewed on camera. The person holding the microphone commented on the fact that the lake was full of alligators, and she called him a hero. He blinked, shrugged his shoulders and said: “I just did what needed to be done.”

Maybe that’s what it really takes to be saintly, doing what needs to be done. I think that’s what Mother Theresa would have said, or Theresa of Avila, or the Curé of Ars, or John Paul II. They just did what needed to be done. Now and then I run into people who are trying to be saintly. I find them to be a bit odd, sometimes phony, and their pious behavior does not attract nor interest me. I’m not sure we can “try out” for holiness. It seems to me that holiness and sanctity are consequences of humble, sincere, simple lived by someone who just does what needs to be done not for some recognition or reward, but because there is someone else in need. 

October 27, 2024 at Saint Peter and Saint William Catholic Churches in Naples, FL

Jeremiah 31: 7-9 + Psalm 126 + Hebrews 5: 1-6 + Mark 10: 46-52

In the mid 1700s the slave trade was very lucrative business for English sailors and captains. A teenager named, John Newton was out of control with alcohol and he ended up on a slave trader. His behavior on board landed him in chains becoming a slave to the captain of the ship who eventually sold him to another ship where he was put him in charge of the holding pens for slaves. It is said that he was the cruelest man on the ship. He found and read a copy of “The Imitation of Christ.” It frightened him, and he closed the book. Not long after that, a terrible storm nearly tore the ship apart, and for the first time, he prayed in fear. When the storm calmed, he began to read the New Testament and in the story of the Prodigal Son he could see himself. The damaged ship barely made it to shore. He went straight to a church to pray, but his conversion didn’t last long, and he ended up back in the slave trade where in West Africa he contracted malaria and nearly died. This time, the fear made a difference and even though he made three more voyages taking slaves to the Caribbean, he recognized that he had been blinded by power, ambition, and money.  He ended up as an active abolitionist working to put and end of slavery in England. As a Pastor for 23 years, his sermons often reflected on the theme of God’s grace, and he left us the hymn we all know so well. “I was blind, but now I see.” 

We are nearing the end of our journey with Jesus to Jerusalem narrated by Mark. In just four weeks, it’s over. Then we shall pick up the Gospel of Luke for the coming year with Advent. When Jesus turned his face and started toward Jerusalem in chapter eight, a blind man was healed. Now nearly at the gate of the city there is another blind man. You might find it interesting to compare the stories. They are quite different in several ways that say something about what has happened to Jesus as well as his disciples along the way. This is the final miracle story in Mark’s Gospel, and it is the only time when someone cured has a name.

As Mark tells it there are two issues of notice. The disciples still don’t get it. They just don’t “see” what Jesus has been doing and what his ministry is about. They try to keep Bartimaeus quiet and want him out of the way. I find it remarkable that “Jesus stopped.” Determined as he has been to get to Jerusalem, right there near the end, he stops because someone calls. What he is about, what he must do, where he is headed all comes to a halt for a poor man, a nobody, sitting at the side of the road shouting. Then, he asks the question that echoes down through the ages to us today. “What do you want me to do for you?” When that question is first asked, Bartimaeus knows what he needs. He knows he is blind, and that is his first grace.

When Jesus Christ asks that question of us, if we do call out to him, what are we going to ask for? This is an invitation to consider what we really want from Jesus. We will do no better than learn from Bartimaeus. He calls Jesus “teacher.” I think Bartimaeus is the teacher here teaching us what to ask for. We are blind people. We just don’t really see. It’s not a matter of the optic nerve. It’s a matter of really seeing, perceiving, understanding who we are and what our blindness allows. There is a spiritual blindness like an epidemic in this world. With all our laser technology, cornea transplants, and Cataract surgery, too many of us a still blinded by ambition, power, money, and prestige.

We do not see what our life-style does to someone else. We do not see the face of Christ in anyone who questions or threatens our privilege and comfort. We refuse to stop too often when someone calls out. We ask Jesus for things that really will not transform our lives and bring peace and justice. Yet, Jesus still asks offering help, and his hand reaches down to our hands to lift us up and offer a new way of life. Following him on the “way” will not lead to any superiority or sophistication, but into a world in which everything has meaning and is real and belongs. Our teacher wants us to be well and to see again – to see as God sees. When that happens, we can sing that old hymn and really mean it.

October 20, 2024 at Saint William & Saint Peter Catholic Churches in Naples, FL

Isaiah 53: 10-11 + Psalm 33 + Hebrews 4: 14-16 + Mark 10: 35-45

When I read these verses from Mark’s Gospel, I always wonder exactly why the other ten were so angry. Was it because they didn’t ask first and James and John beat them too it? Or, was it because it was such an inappropriate question. We’ll never know the answer, but it is worth thinking about if we put ourselves into the moment. What we see is that self-interest and a quest for power have fractured the very community Jesus has been forming. The whole situation sounds too much like us these days. The ideal of a more perfect union has fractured by a lot of self-interest and a quest for power. “It shall not be so among you” says Jesus Christ. My bet is that he shouted that at them in frustration and disappointment. 

What is on display here are the symptoms of communal life disrupted by distrust and division. They don’t want to serve. They want to be served. With that, the entire mission of Jesus is revealed, and its success or future is called into question.

I think it is important here to realize that Jesus does not criticize James and John for asking to sit at his right or his left in glory. He simply suggests that they are not clear about how you get there. We have the benefit of knowing what they did not know. At the time this discussion happens, they have not yet been to Calvary. They do not yet know that the “glory” of Jesus will be revealed from a Cross. Even though we may understand that intellectually, our position of privilege in this world still makes it hard to see what this gospel makes clear. Glory is not about power or winning. It is about something quite the opposite.

Jesus asks a question here, “What do you want me to do for you?”  He will ask the exact same question of a blind man named, Bartimaeus a little later when he gets to Jerusalem. Guess which one sees clearly enough to follow Jesus “on the way.”

This is the question at the heart of this story. What do you want Jesus to do for you? If we have some power or influence and use it for a good purpose then we might want Jesus to keep things as they are or even increase our influence so that we can do even greater things in his name. If we are somehow powerless against neglect or abuse, a victim of prejudice or hate we might ask Jesus to make this world more fair, just and loving. We might ask Jesus how a whole community like us might change things, give up something and give ourselves away on behalf of others and give us enough love and courage to really want to serve rather than be served.

I’m glad that Jesus did not scold or judge James and John but rather continued patiently to teach them his way and the possibilities they could not see at the time. He came as a ransom to set us free. If we can only begin to acknowledge how we have been enslaved by a desire to secure our privileges and to be served grace has begun to set us free, free to ransom others by service and sacrifice. This is not an idea. It is a frame of mind and a way of life called discipleship.

October 13, 2024

This homily was not delivered as I am attending the 100^th anniversary of the Cathedral in Oklahoma City.

Wisdom 7: 7-11 + Psalm 90 + Hebrews 4: 12-13 + Mark 10: 17-30

This man who stops and questions Jesus at the beginning this week’s Gospel introduces two key terms worth our thoughtful reflection: “good” and “inherit.” In the conversation with this man, Jesus is not trying to deny his own goodness, but he is asking the man if he really knows what he is saying and why he is saying it. Not interested in flattery, Jesus pushes the conversation further suggesting that this man is confused about what is good. He can’t seem to distinguish between what is good from goods.

Goodness is an attribute of God. One look at the two words in print might give us some clue. Any thing that is good in this world is good because it comes from God or comes from God’s creation. On the other hand, the word can be used to identify riches or material possessions not because they reflect God’s glory but because they satisfy our desire to possess and consume. What we see is that this man cannot let go of his “goods” because he can’t see what they are and where they come from. Then, there is this matter of inheritance. An inheritance implies a relationship or a kinship with a willingness to wait and receive. The man does not seem to understand this. He wants some “thing.” What he needs is some “one.”

What we hear in this story today is not a critique of this man, but an invitation to look at our own lives and evaluate what we own and how what we own leads us to see and express the glory of God remembering the source of all that is good. There is nothing in the Gospel that demands that we become like Saint Francis and give away all our possessions. However, at the same time, every line of the Gospel warns us about the ways a desire for more goods, more prestige, more luxury or more power diverts us from our greatest potential.

With all his wealth, a man who seems to lack nothing ends up being told by Jesus that he does lack something. All of his abundance has created a lack that can only be filled or satisfied by a relationship with a person rather than with things. He lacks what he needs most, an ability and willingness to follow the way of Jesus Christ. This rich man is really a poor man too content with his riches or his “goods” to see what is really good – a relationship with the one Good – God. All those goods have led him to settle for less because they seem to be the best offer around. The inheritance he could have is a reward that comes when goods become good by being circulated, both given and received not possessed or owned.

In the end, keeping the commandments does not make any of us good. It just makes us keepers of the rules. This man in the Gospel keeps the rules, but yearns for something more. He has a lot of stuff, and he knows and feels that it still is not enough. He needs someone. He comes to the one who can give him what he longs for. But, at that moment, he is too confused about what is good and how to inherit failing to understand that having an inheritance means having a relationship. It seems like a sad story the way it ends, but maybe it is more of a beginning. Maybe he will, having reflected as we do now on the message of this Gospel, he will return ready and open recognizing what is really good and where it all comes from.

October 6, 2024 at Saint William Catholic Church in Naples, FL

Genesis 2: 18-24 + Psalm 128 + Hebrews 2: 9-11 + Mark 10: 2-16

These verses of Mark’s Gospel are not about divorce at all. The troublemakers are there to trap Jesus with a question about divorce. They want to get Jesus to say something that will get him into trouble with Herod whose divorce was a hot topic at the time – a topic that cost John the Baptist his head. Jesus does not fall for their tricks. He talks about marriage.

Reaching deep into the well of our heart’s desires Jesus repeats the words of the Creator, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Going further to reveal God’s will and God’s plan, the Genesis story puts Adam to sleep so that it is clear that this is only the work of God. A rib is taken. Unlike the creation of every other creature, this creature will not be less, separate, or different from man. This is bone from bone, flesh from flesh. There is equality here intended by God, and that is the real revelation and response Jesus gives to those troublemakers. For them, this idea had to be disturbing.

At the time, marriages were arranged. There was no thought about love and commitment in marriage. As a result, divorce was a constant issue that could even upset the economy. When the response of Jesus brings the suggestion of God’s action in this relationship there is something new to think about. This is no longer about economics or providing children to help with work. Marriage, like everything else, has changed with the coming of Christ. The purpose of his Incarnation and the motive for his mission is to restore the perfection of that Garden where everything was perfectly in harmony and peace as God had intended.

No longer just a relationship between two people, Jesus speaks of God’s intention for marriage to be a covenant between two people and God. The binding force in marriage, as Jesus sees it, is not vows or even the love of the two people for each other. The binding force is God’s own presence in that relationship. He makes the point by saying: “What God has joined together……” Recognizing and cultivating God’s presence in a marriage brings joy in good times and hope in sorrow. As God intends and Jesus teaches, marriage is a living sign of God’s presence in our midst. It is the manifestation of the love of God, a love that knows neither condition nor limit in its ability to give and forgive. Jesus appeals to all of us to embrace the Spirit of love that is the basis of God’s love.

Yet, we know only too well that no human relationship is without sin, and sometimes promises are broken. While living with this reality, we must hold fast to the promise that God is always radically faithful, and there is nothing that will divorce us from God’s love. Entering into and maintaining a marriage relationship requires a commitment that must rely on God. What these verses ask of us is a serious consideration of radical faithfulness. First comes faithfulness to God, and with that, we can be faithful to one another in the promises we make.

September 29 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL

Numbers 11: 25-29 + Psalm 19 + James 5: 1-6 + Mark 9: 38-42, 45, 47-48

It’s easy to let our attention be drawn to John or Jesus in this scene. I suspect that many are preaching about them today speaking about a host of issues that may arise from this incident. Hospitality could be one of the issues since there seems to be a refusal on the part of the disciples to welcome this outsider. The issue of who is “in” and who is “out” would make a great sermon too. Cups of water given could be another theme. At the same time, digging into what this says to the early church for which Mark is writing may reveal a great deal about their challenge.

As you might have guessed by now, I’m not going there. After more than 50 years of praying and listening to this Gospel, I have worn out those themes. Weeks ago, as I began to study and listen once again, I began to think about the third person in this episode. He’s the one with no name. I’ve decided that I like this guy, and I like the way he works.

You may have noticed that there is no suggestion that his work casting out demons is a failure. John did not say that this man was “trying to cast out demons.” He was doing it successfully. So, I wonder what’s the problem here? Then I remember that just a few verses earlier, the disciples came to Jesus disappointed and frustrated because they had met failure in casting out a demon. It almost seems that they are a bit jealous of another’s success or that they are frustrated because someone can do what they cannot.

For me, this whole scene is a reminder that the work of Jesus Christ, the work of the church, the work of healing, forgiving, feeding, and caring for people troubled by all sorts of demons and evil is not just for the official, approved, or designated persons. It is not reserved for those with time to spare or those trained in some special way. 

There is no doubt that things done through all kinds of Church programs are beneficial. However, at the same time, we can often get so focused on the program that those who do not have the time for training, meetings or reports get ignored and discouraged. They may well have other responsibilities that go with raising a family, caring for a loved one, while working to put food on the table. When they are done with that, they are tired and do not have the energy for “Church Work.” Sometimes they may even feel as though they are not good disciples.

I would suggest that this Gospel might give us cause to re-think all of this and recognize what Jesus sees. The work and ministry of Jesus Christ and his Church can and even must continue within and without the official program or approval of the Church. I think of men and women working doing double shifts in hospitals. I think of daycare workers who wear themselves out caring for little children for more hours than the parents do. I think of our first responders who are there when we need them, of mechanics who keep our cars running so that we can be where we need to be. 

There are no boundaries when it comes to the need to continue the work of Jesus Christ. It takes no “religious vocation” to be forgiving, healing or kind. There is no “them” or “us” when it comes to charity and offering that cup of water. You don’t need a membership card to let people see the face of Christ and know the love God. I do know for sure that those who serve in the name of Jesus will be drawn into deeper friendship with him, and we can all do that.

September 22 2024 at Saint William Catholic Church in Naples, FL

Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20 + Psalm 54 + James 3: 16- 4:3 + Mark 9: 30-37

Jesus is slowly making his way toward Jerusalem. He knows what has happened to every prophet before him. Aware of the animosity and power of his opponents, he knows what is likely to come when they get to Jerusalem. He has left the safety of Galilee where his opponents have no power and moved into their territory. I think it is important to realize that Jesus Christ did not choose that cross. The choice he made was not to avoid it or fight it. Jesus did not want to die on a cross. His prayer after the last supper in that garden should make that clear to us. His Father did not want that either. But having set us free in this life, God does not use power to coerce or force us to do anything. God so loves the world that God will have nothing to do with coercion. God just makes the best of our mistakes and bad choices, and with love saves us sometimes in spite of ourselves.

So, here are the chosen twelve. They hear what Jesus says about what is to come. The first time he told them about it, Peter argued with him, and he got a scolding for it. So, it’s not surprising that this time, they all just keep quiet. Probably because they were beginning to understand what he was saying, they are afraid what it might mean for them. Their talk among themselves tells us what they were afraid of, giving up their ambition and dreams of glory.

Knowing their ambitions Jesus decides to redefine it. In place of ambition to rule others he substituted the ambition to serve others. For the ambition to have others do things for them, he substituted the ambition to do things for others. He did not tell them that they should not seek greatness. He simply showed them where true greatness was to be found not in being the master of others, but rather in being the servant of others, especially the weakest members of the community.

This tends to be a problem for us, because we sometimes define or evaluate people in terms of the job they do. If we learn that a person is a doctor, our estimation of the person soars. But if we learn that a person is mowing grass for a living, our estimation stays earthbound. It’s silly business because we know that there is something more important than the job, namely, the kind of human being behind the job.

The mistake the apostles made was to put the job, or the position, first. In their eyes, the greatest among them was the one who had the highest position still hanging on to their hope that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom where they would be important and in charge. The message they get is that to earn the top spot, they had to go to the bottom. In order to be served, they would have to serve first. They would not be sitting on high thrones and soft cushions. They would be on their knees with a basin of water in one hand and towel in the other washing the feet of the little ones.

For all of us, it is not what I do but what I am that is important. We have to do things that we can be proud of. Feelings follow actions. Jesus tells us what they are. They are deeds of love and service. He set the example himself by never taking the easy way or avoiding the difficult way. He gave his life in the service of others. No one can go higher than that. He is the greatest in the Kingdom.