29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B
THE VALUE OF SERVICE
MK 10: 42-45
MESSAGE
Who is great in the eyes of God? is it the humble one? is it the faithful person? is it the generous and charitable? is it the heroic and brave? While all these traits are excellent in the eyes of God and certainly beneficial towards their brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus emphasizes a point that is oftentimes overlooked today.
The great one, in the presence of the Lord, is the one who actually serves; the one with the attitude, predisposition, and desire to serve… and really does. A person may be humble and faithful, generous, brave and full of all admirable characteristics, but unless that person uses his talents or capacities to serve, he or she is far from spiritual greatness. How encouraging this is! Why? By saying these words, the Lord Jesus tells us that the path to greatness of heart and spirit is available to all, since all of us can perform loving, dedicated service in one form or another.
We can serve within our own families. We can serve in our workplace. We can even serve the larger community. Service is most genuine when it is done while keeping ourselves hidden in the background, unlike the social media trend that shows people serving others while being filmed or photographed. Service truly happens when we feel the pain of giving, forgiving, sharing, and helping others, just as the Son of Man, Jesus our Lord has shown us. His service demanded of him the totality of himself, his life to its very end.
REFLECT
We may have good intentions but if we do not put them into action, we do not truly serve the Lord and others. We may have the capacity to serve but if we defer to act until we are retired, old, or rich enough, then our service may no longer be relevant. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to serve him and his people today, in little things, in simple things, in daily things.
