"Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice" (James 3:16). Too often jealousy and selfish ambition exist among Christians and in the Church. Jesus shows us a better way. The better way is not the easiest way. It is perhaps the path of maximum resistance. Jesus's way is the way of service, putting others before yourself. This is the simple and straightforward message of our readings for this Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What is the one who is last of all called? Such a person is called diakonos, that is a deacon. Diakonia is an essential ingredient in the recipe of Christian discipleship. We come to Mass. Mass is derived from the Latin word meaning not merely to be dismissed but to be sent. What are we sent to do? We are sent to serve others in Jesus's name, which is how we make God's Kingdom a present reality. Worship that does not lead to service is not Christian, no matter how awe-inspiring it is.
Our Gospel reading begins with Jesus, once again, as in last week's Gospel, predicting his passion. It is precisely in his passion and death that Jesus demonstrates what it means to put others before one's self. Christ's crucifixion, no matter what your soteriology, is the ultimate act of service. One of my favorite hymns is Lord Whose Love In Humble Service begins with these words:
Lord, whose love in humble serviceAs the late Fr. Herbert McCabe, OP, insisted: "if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you.”
Bore the weight of human need,
Who upon the cross, forsaken,
Offered mercy’s perfect deed
Children in Jesus's culture were the least of the least. So, by insisting on the need to welcome them in his name, he teaches his followers what it means to be the servant all. Serving all means not only to serve the least but to particularly serve the least. It's important to serve those who cannot repay you, who cannot do anything for you. This is diakonia!
Just as there is the priesthood of the baptized, there is a diaconate of the baptized. As Israel's prophets noted over and over in different ways, worship requires service.
When Jesus spoke of dying and rising, his disciples didn't understand. They couldn't grasp what he was saying. Therefore, his excursus on selfless service, on diakonia, which is the Christian word for service, was his way of making his dying and rising both comprehensible and meaningful.
Christianity is sacramental because it is incarnational. This means Christianity is essentially concrete, not abstract, something we often forget. By marrying up Mark's Gospel with James's letter, the lectionary brings this into bold relief.
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