The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to adopt attitudes of thanksgiving and humility in our service to those we meet on our journey.
The reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians presents thanksgiving and the paradox of the ministry.
* [4:7–5:10] Paul now confronts the difficulty that his present existence does not appear glorious at all; it is marked instead by suffering and death. He deals with this by developing the topic already announced in 2 Cor 3:3, 6, asserting his faith in the presence and ultimate triumph of life, in his own and every Christian existence, despite the experience of death. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)
Psalm 126 praises a harvest of joy.
* [Psalm 126] A lament probably sung shortly after Israel’s return from exile. The people rejoice that they are in Zion (Ps 126:1–3) but mere presence in the holy city is not enough; they must pray for the prosperity and the fertility of the land (Ps 126:4). The last verses are probably an oracle of promise: the painful work of sowing will be crowned with life (Ps 126:5–6). (Psalms, PSALM 126, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew describes the request of the mother of James and John.
* [20:20–28] Cf. Mk 10:35–45. The request of the sons of Zebedee, made through their mother, for the highest places of honor in the kingdom, and the indignation of the other ten disciples at this request, show that neither the two brothers nor the others have understood that what makes for greatness in the kingdom is not lordly power but humble service. Jesus gives the example, and his ministry of service will reach its highest point when he gives his life for the deliverance of the human race from sin. (Matthew, CHAPTER 20, n.d.)
Scott McClure comments on Jesus' response to the sons of Zebedee in today’s gospel,'' Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” We struggle to think of a challenge or invitation (indeed, this question is both) that would be greater than this. On the other hand, there is our humanity; which is to say, our sinfulness, imperfection, brokenness, weakness.
…which brings us to our answer. How could we possibly drink that chalice? How can we accept God’s invitation amidst this tension? The answer, itself is God: the one in whom we place our hope. The one who asks the question is the very answer, for God asks nothing of us with which he will not himself assist. God asks us to go nowhere he will not himself accompany us. God is the difference-maker when it comes to our drinking from that chalice.
So, let us pray for awareness of those times in our life when God poses this question to us. Let us pray also for the hope to inspire our Yes. God will be right there with us. (McClure, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Not to be served but to serve,” by John Chrysostom (344-407 AD).
"[Jesus] says, 'The Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.' It is as if he were saying, 'I willed not even to stop at death but even in death gave my life as a ransom. For whom? For enemies. For you. If you are abused, my life is given for you. It is for you. Me for you.' So you need not be too picky if you suffer the loss of your honor. No matter how much it is lowered, you will not be descending as far as your Lord descended. And yet the deep descent of one has become the ascent of all. His glory shines forth from these very depths. For before he was made man, he was known among the angels only. But after he was made man and was crucified, so far from lessening that glory, he acquired further glory besides, even that from his personal knowledge of the world."
"So fear not then, as though your honor were put down. Rather, be ready to abase yourself. For in this way your glory is exalted even more, and in this way it becomes greater. This is the door of the kingdom. Let us not then go the opposite way. Let us not war against ourselves. For if we desire to appear great, we shall not be great but even the most dishonored of all. Do you see how everywhere Jesus encourages them by turning things upside down? He gives them what they desire but in ways they did not expect. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 65.4.25) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 20:20-28 comments that if James had never moved beyond these failed attempts at glory, we wouldn’t be celebrating his feast day today. But there’s so much more to his story. The mere fact that he stuck with Jesus speaks volumes in itself! He didn’t let his missteps or Jesus’ rebukes discourage him. Instead, he let them produce in him the humility and openness to the Spirit that is the hallmark of every saint.
So as you celebrate St. James today, remember how he started out. Remember how patient Jesus was with him, and remember how persistent James was. Then think about your own life. There’s still room for you to become more like the Lord. And there’s still more that Jesus wants to do in you and through you. Your story isn’t over yet!
“Jesus, help me to follow you even more closely today.” (Meditation on Matthew 20:20-28, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the attitude of Paul to his physical suffering for the sake of the Gospel. The Paschal mystery highlights the privilege to drink the cup that Jesus took. Friar Jude suggests the anger of the other apostles may have been that James and John had gotten to Jesus with their request first.
The Franciscan Media article notes that James is the brother of John the Evangelist. The two were called by Jesus as they worked with their father in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had already called another pair of brothers from a similar occupation: Peter and Andrew. “He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him” (Mark 1:19-20). James was one of the favored three who had the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus, and the agony in Gethsemani.
The way the Gospels treat the apostles is a good reminder of what holiness is all about. There is very little about their virtues as static possessions, entitling them to heavenly reward. Rather, the great emphasis is on the Kingdom, on God’s giving them the power to proclaim the Good News. As far as their personal lives are concerned, there is much about Jesus’ purifying them of narrowness, pettiness, fickleness. (Saint James, n.d.)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares his experience of how challenging it is to hear each other without agenda or defensiveness. Fortunately, there will always be people who have the grace and the ability to engage in reflective listening, to ask, “Richard, did I understand what you were saying?” and repeat back to him their perception of what he said.
Unfortunately that is not the way the ego likes to work. Opposition gives us a sense of standing for something, a false sense of independence, power, and control. Compassion and humility don’t give us a sense of control or psychic comfort. We have to be willing to let go of our moral high ground and hear the truth that the other person may be speaking, even if it is only ten percent of what they are saying. Compassion and dialogue are essentially vulnerable positions. If we are into control and predictability, we will seldom descend into the vulnerability of undefended listening or the scariness of dialogue. If we are incapable of hearing others, we will also be incapable of hearing God. If we spend all day controlling and blocking others, why would we change when we kneel to pray? (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek to be open to the Spirit reminding us that our service to others models Jesus' Way of fullness of life that includes thanksgiving in accepting the Cross.
References
Matthew, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/20?20
McClure, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072522.html
Meditation on Matthew 20:20-28. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/25/448582/
Psalms, PSALM 126. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/126?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Compassionate Listening. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/compassionate-listening-2022-07-25/
Saint James. (n.d.). Franciscan Media. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-james
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Not to Be Served but to Serve. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul25a
2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/4?7
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