Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 53:10-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, Mark 10:35-45
From the Pastor’s Desk… To Serve & Give One’s Life
The longing to be powerful is as ancient as the world. We ourselves experience it every day in the most commonplace situations, as in wanting to occupy the best or first place, in choosing the best of partners, in climbing up the ladder to a higher position at work – till we go so far as to fight for political power without a conscience, even destroying the adversary. At the root of the problem, there is always the terrible duality: an instinct for dominance and one’s ridiculous vanity.
Our own self-centeredness can infiltrate to such a point that we think we are someone special, and that we are of even more worth if we dominate other people; and if only the other person could be more brotherly! Isn’t this the question that is planted in one’s mind? If the other person would really change into being my brother: then I could overwhelm him with my dominance, even against his own person or his own goods? Couldn’t I also then speak poorly about him behind his back? Would he allow me to destroy his privacy?
For Christ, on the other hand, one is greater when he/she resigns their will to dominate others and learns to serve with a fraternal love. There are so many people around us that attract us, due to their generosity and their noble lives! One’s moral authority is born from within a heart that is in solidarity, is generous, and serves. They radiate a special authority; they need neither to threaten, to bribe, nor to flatter. Perhaps this is the most important secret of life and yet the most ignored. We live life more intensely, only when we give it away. One can only live when that person helps others to live.
What is He asking of us? The service that Christ asks of us is demanding, however it is immensely fruitful. This service implies a struggle to the death against one’s egoism and it is an exercise in humility; this is the hard part. Yet, it is also a productive service because it is our source of salvation. It is very easy for one to give something; and this happens to us also when it does not cost us anything, especially when we have an abundance. But honestly: who dares to give everything, and then to give one’s all to the others, until it hurts?
The idea alone of serving others, may scare many away. For others, it may attract them only to place themselves at the center of attention. It is an obligation of one’s conscience to assume a commitment of service.
We have to give what is alive in us: our happiness, our faith, our tenderness, our confidence, and the hope that sustains us and animates us up from within. To give one’s life in this way – is always a gesture that enriches, that helps us to live, that gives life to others, that redeems souls, and that liberates and saves people.
God bless you, Fr. Oscar
Sunday’s Readings: Wisdom 9:13-18; Psalms 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33 LIMITS Today’s readings continue the theme of humility explored last Sunday. All three readings today encourage us to admit that we have limits, and God has none. The poignant poetry of Wisdom resonates with all of us who have ever struggled…
Sunday’s Readings: Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Ps 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a: Luke 14:1, 7-14 HUMILITY Today’s readings praise the virtue of humility and offer concrete ways for us to become more humble. The Book of Sirach suggests a practical reason for acting with humility: humble people are more likable than the arrogant. Even…
Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalms 117:1, 2; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30 GOD’S PEOPLE GATHER Our readings today remind us of the larger story of the Bible, of God’s purposes and promises for the world. Because of humanity’s rejection of God, as told in Genesis, human communities were first dispersed. Isaiah proclaims that one day God…
Sunday’s Readings: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Psalms 40:2, 3, 4, 18; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53 PROPHETS We reflect upon the voice of the prophet in this Sunday’s readings. We hear of the suffering and the rescue of Jeremiah. We hear how Jesus anticipates his suffering and death. As with Jeremiah and Jesus, the prophets were sent by…
Sunday’s Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23; Psalms 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21 THE CENTER OF A MEANINGFUL LIFE Today’s readings invite us to reflect upon some of life’s deepest questions, and to explore the meaning of faith. We hear of the universal human search for meaning in our lives in the book…
Sunday’s Readings: Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8; 1 Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13 CONVERSATION WITH GOD Prayer is our focus this weekend. In the Gospel, Jesus gives his disciples, and us, the Lord’s Prayer, which we have cherished through the centuries. The first two words encompass much about our faith—unity among all Christians (Our),…
Sunday’s Readings: Gn 18:1-10a;Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 5;Col 1:24-28;Lk 10:38-42 PRAYER AND SERVICE How do we bring balance and joy to our lives of prayer and service to our loving God? In the Gospel today, Jesus tells Martha that her concern about doing the right thing as dictated by Jewish tradition might not be the best…
Sunday’s Readings: Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Psalms 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37 RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS Our God is about relationships. In the first reading, Moses reminds the Israelites that the laws, which are already in their hearts, keep them in right relationship with the God who loves them so much that they always find…