Why A Child?
25th Sunday In Ordinary Time, B
2009-09-20
Mk 9:30-37Your child is standing there, staring at you, holding your electric razor. It’s still running.
The cat is close by, looking agitated. She no longer has whiskers and clumps of cat hair are strewn about the floor.
You ask in your best parenting voice, “Did you shave the cat?”
Silence. Not a word.
While there is no cat in today’s Gospel reading, that same “guilty” silence can be found.
Obviously, Jesus knew that the disciples had been quarrelling amongst themselves about who was the greatest. He asked the question, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But, as St. Mark tells us, they remained silent. They knew they were guilty, and they knew they had been caught red-handed.
Now, Jesus could have scolded them and told them they were selfish and arrogant. But, instead, He took the opportunity to create a “teaching moment.”
Once inside, He gathered them together and told them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the LAST of all and the SERVANT of all.”
He then placed a child before them. Wrapping His arms around the child, He said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me, but the one who sent me.”
It’s a curious thing Jesus did, placing a child before them.
Why a child? What was He saying to them?
Well, back then, a child had virtually no legal rights. Many times they were treated as property. And, they were totally dependant on others to survive.
In short, the child was the weakest and most vulnerable member of society.
So, when Jesus placed a child before them, He was telling them that they must be willing to be servants – they must willingly place themselves BEHIND the very least of society. They must totally humble themselves to be counted among the greatest.
I think at least 11 of them got Jesus’ point. But, what are WE to get from today’s Gospel? What is Jesus telling us?
Close your eyes. No, really, all of you, close your eyes…just for a moment.
I want you to picture in your minds the most important people in your life, past or present; those persons who have had the greatest impact on you, shaping you, forming you. I’m talking about real, living, breathing humans you have encountered along your journey.
I’ll pause a moment while you do that.
Who are they? Why are they so important to you?
Well, it’s probably NOT because they were featured on Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous, or because they won a beauty contest, or they hit the most home runs.
Then, why are they the “greatest?” What is it about them that blessed, and impressed you the most?
Search yourself. I think you know the answer. Are your eyes still closed? Can you see them clearly?
I’ll bet I can describe them to you.
They are truly good people. They are unselfish. They are kind. They’ve always had a spare moment for you. They’ve never turned you away.
When you were mourning, they brought you a warm meal. When you celebrated, they were there to share in your joy.
They picked you up when you fell. They never held a grudge.
They showed you by example how to pray and to trust in God, and they corrected you when you lost your way. They gave you the gift of a true moral compass.
They’ve taught you many valuable life lessons. They have been beacons of faith, hope and charity in your life.
And, most surely, they are people who loved you, taught you, helped you and guided you NOT because they HAD to, but because they WANTED to. They did it out of humility, out of total self-sacrifice. They did it out of love.
If you haven’t already done so, you can open your eyes.
Was I right? Did I fairly describe the greatest people in your life?
Hopefully you see that those who have been FIRST in your life were most definitely those who SERVED you in life.
THIS is what Jesus is telling us in today’s Gospel. The measure of greatness, of importance, of what is first, is NOT who ends up in front, on top and with the most.
The true measure of greatness is SERVICE; faithful, unselfish, no-strings-attached service.
After all, that’s the very example that Jesus offers at the beginning of the Gospel reading when He tells the disciples, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him….” (Talk about unselfish!)
And that’s precisely why Jesus places this tiny child, this totally dependant child before the disciples – and us – today. What we will be judged by at the end of our lives – what we will be measured against – is how we have served those who most depend on us.
St. Mark tells us that Jesus wrapped His arms around the child in today’s Gospel. We too must wrap our arms around those in need…
We must wrap our arms around the poor, the homeless, and the sick…
We must wrap our arms around the imprisoned, the grieving and the distraught…
We must wrap our arms around the jobless, the addicted, and most assuredly, the unborn.
But, now you look back at me and say, “That sounds a lot like Mother Theresa. I’m just an ordinary person sitting here at Mass. I dress up nice. I put my money in the collection. I sing the songs. I do what I can. Now you want me to save the world?”
Before you freak out…remember those great people who you just finished calling to mind; those who made you the person you are today, those who served you.
They most likely weren’t out to save the world. They just wanted to make the world a better place, starting where they could: with their home, their workplace, and their community. So, they gave of themselves…to you.
Sure, it might be a more perfect world if we could all BE Mother Theresa’s…but I think it would be just as blessed if we all had a little Mother Theresa in each of us; if we truly LIVED the spirit of the servant that Jesus speaks about.
It is the spirit of the servant that asks us to volunteer our time to those in need and care for those who are sick.
It is the spirit of the servant that asks us to respect the authority of the Catholic Church.
It is the spirit of the servant that asks us to offer freely and completely our heart, mind and body to our spouses.
It is the spirit of the servant that asks us to sacrifice what we want so that our children may have what they truly need.
It is the spirit of the servant that asks us to humble ourselves and to give of ourselves to others.
If we do these things – and we CAN do these things – we may find that one day, we become one of the people who are called to someone’s mind when they’re asked who was most important to them.
It is our SERVICE to others – ALL those we meet in need of help – that will define us. As the song goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”
We are all called to serve, just as those who served US were answering a call. We are called to be humble, forgiving, and unselfish, just as those who served US.
And, those who have served us in life, making us who we are today, did so of their own free will. And, we too have a choice placed before us today and EVERY DAY. We can choose to ignore those in need, or we can choose to SERVE those in need. There is no in-between.